Arrival Of A New Kind Of Adversary
by Lord OF Illusion
Summary: It was going to be another beautiful day, but now the arrival of a new threat is at hand. Barbarians hired by the Shogunate are on a rampage, and Ronins have corrupted the power of the samurai. Also, there is an adventurer not from their world on the run
1. Arival Of A New Kind Of Adversary

A special Note to readers: I WRITE COLOSAL stories and this is only the first chapter!

Enjoy

** Arrival Of A New Kind Of Adversary **

Radiant and powerful rays of the sun reflected from Inuyasha's graceful and rugged blade the Tessaiga. Both the heat and the vivid light that rebounded from his adored sword made him squint his keen yellow eyes. With his left hand he ran a piece of cloth over the tip of his sword. He stroked his blade effortlessly like the way a lover caresses their intimate and beloved. Usually he was on the clumsy side and had a tendency to be a bit rough with things that required precision and moderation. After swabbing his blade a few times carefully he noticed the film of dirt that caked the edge of his sword was no longer visible to even his sharp eyesight.

"I think I've done a job well for once," he said to himself with a tranquil sigh. The wind blew gently across his face, and filtered through the dark green canopy that loomed above him.

He had been sitting on the top of a big green hill, at the edge of a forest for close to an hour now. Kagome had told him that she would not be late. She told Inuyasha that all the time and ironically she was always late! "Noon, yeah right, and I'm the husband of a frickin tengu bitch," he muttered gazing up at the sapphire sky. Clouds began to circle around him and curled in thick threads and spiraled in the blue awning. Something though, didn't feel right. The wind didn't have its usual taste, and it seemed to be increasing somewhat in speed. He rolled his eyes and passed off his odd emotion as nothing and thought that it was just an irritating side effect of being overly concerned. He collected a heap of his long brilliant white hair and looked at it intimately. "Maybe that's why it runs in my father's family," he spoke. He often did suffer from anxiety when it was probably totally unnecessary.

"Hey! Inuyasha!" a voice called up from the foot of the large hill. Almost instantly he broke his continual glaring and gazed down at the bottom of the hill. A smile brightened his grim face when he saw the dark white and green figure waving to him. It was Kagome alright and for once she was almost on time. He could see the outline of her pink bicycle and her basket full of some kind of goodies from her world.

"I'll be down in a sec!" he called down to her sheathing his sword. The hanyo leaped high into the air from where he had been working diligently on his Tessaiga. Like a graceful cat he landed on his left foot and pushed off on his right sending himself through the air again. He landed not so gracefully in front of Kagome with his back hunched like an elderly peasent. Kagome smiled warmly and batted her pretty choclate eyes, she always felt more content when ever she was in his presence.

"How are you today?" she asked with a serene and cheerful voice. She had a slender build and rich dark hair. A green short skirt hugged her waist, and she also wore her usual white longsleve collared shirt.

"I'm fine, but where the hell were you?!"

Kagome had to kick herself inside to keep even a forced smile. The hanyo boy was correct, she said that they would meet around twelve, but instead she was there almost a half hour late.

"Okey, so I'm, like, around twenty minutes late, but you don't want to know how bad things were in Tokyo today."

Inuyasha stood still like a statue cast in iron with his arms folded across his chest. It was getting harder for him to listen to the same stories over and over again.

"Remember what your grand dad said?" Inuyasha stated vacantly.

"Um, no," Kagome answered.

"You shot me this line once. I think it went like good is good but, damn it! That's not how it sounded." Inuyasha scratched one of his canine ears. "Things are better when their whole, heh?, oh hell no! Not like that either." Kagome raised a very apprehensive eyebrow; she was as lost as he was in his awkward search for the correct lexis. "Wait! I've got it now, when you speak people will listen, but when you move, they will follow."

Kagome put a finger to her lower lip and thought for a minute. Her eyes glared aimlessly into the sleepy and placid blue sky. Inuysaha waited patiently for her to remark on his wise words, he held a smug look on his stern face.

"Oh yeah I remember him saying something like that." Inuyasha nodded with an arrogant smirk. "Uh, what was that suppose to be about?" Inuyasha's patients took another toll.

_Is she just out of it today? _He questioned. The riddle he threw out at her pretty much spoke for it's self. _Actions speak louder than words moron! I wonder if she's just feelin weird or if she really does enjoy playing idiot! _

"Weelllll. I'm here now and that's what's important. Right?" she said in a perky voice.

"I guess so," he replied looking at the ground.

"Then let's be on our way," she said with a smile, and then with a small kick with her left foot locked her bike's kick stand back into place. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and walked along side of her as she peddled down the sand and dirt path. She remembered both things terribly well; she remembered what her grandfather had told her even though she didn't fully understand his quote. She also recalled the fact that she also promised Inuyasha that she would be a hundred percent on time today for once.

For almost a mile they said nothing to each other as they walked down the slender path. Kagome glanced over at the hanyo boy; he had the usual face that looked like it had been situated in firm stone. The radiant and glistening sun warmed her face and made her bicycle gleam. _I wonder what's on his mind. _She thought. Then she decided it was time for her to begin another conversation, the beginning of their ride had already taken off to a shaky start.

"My, it's a stunning day today." Inuyasha didn't respond. His stubborn silence actually started to piss her off. _I know something that would breach this quiet displeasure. _She reached into her basket and pulled out a piece of strucla. He heard her thumbing through her small basket but didn't look over to see what she had pulled out until he caught the sent of the sweetened European bread. Grinning, he thanked her and attempted to pull it from her hands. At the last minute she snapped it away from him, almost losing her balance on her bike.

"Damn Kagome. First your late now teasing, what's next?!"

"Hey I apologized. I also think you take me for granted," she said almost arrogantly running a delicate pale hand through her rich hair.

"Okay! Okay! I'll admit it already; maybe I could have been a little less harsh when you arrived in today," Inuyasha confessed reluctantly. "And I never take you for granted…" Just then she threw the piece of bread into the air.

"Close enough," she answered with a laugh watching Inuyasha dive like a major league first base men. She looked ahead down the road and continued to get lost in her thoughts about the day ahead. One thing she did love about traveling to this world was the docile beautiful days where only true solace seemed to prevail inside her. There were no huge buildings, gigantic and hectic crowds generating pandemonium, air pollution, the latest pop star trying to blow every other artist out of the water, or just the people that she could do with out. "Sometimes I would love to just leave that other life of mine," she said to herself shifting into a lower gear. She was approaching a large hill that was riddled with small dusty stones. As she cautiously applied her rear breaks she looked over her left shoulder to see if Inuyasha was keeping up with her. He was at least twenty feet from her, not to far from where he caught that treat she threw for him. Like a sentry shielding a battle-determining check point he stood with his shoulders back and his head held high. "Something wrong," she called out to him. He nodded silently. Kagome knew that he had a sixth sense for danger, and these were the times she did not ignore him. With a twist from her lean wrists she turned her bicycle around and kept it in its current gear so she would get more torque from her wheels.

When she arrived at his side he was glaring at his right palm and was moving his fingers in a strange pattern, like the way a sea anemone waves its tendrils gracefully. Something very urgent must have been on his mind. If something was ever to command his complete attention, then it was something very, very imperative and needed consideration instantaneously.

"What. What is it?" she asked in a low and fretful voice.

"Blood," his voice was unyielding.

"Was a village attacked? Was their a battle? Or was it a single individual had suffered a fateful injury?" her questions were relentless and alarmed. "Was there demons involved?"

"I can smell it all too well, my god it's repulsive essence is everywhere," he said in a colder voice. He still hadn't answered any of her pressing questions. There was no trace of a jewel shard near by; she would have felt it in her blood.

"You know, I can feel the hint of the presence of some minor demonic activity, but not much at all though." Inuyasha began to think it was the work of humans. _Damn! They really went at it, who would have had the numbers and tactics to rack up that many kills? _

"You think it was a band of ronins that went on a rampage?" Kagome asked.

"Well, if that was the case there would have to be a whole lot of'em, and they must have been armed to the teeth." His voice seemed to get sterner as he spoke. "I heard there were these people called Mongols, and that they have caused a lot of chaos and trouble for people in other countries. I also heard that some managed to get to our homeland somehow." Kagome gulped at his words. "There was a large village not to far from here; I'm starting to wonder if I'm sensing the after math of their handing work. It wouldn't surprise me." It didn't surprise Kagome either at that thought.

"Do you know the quickest way to that village?" Kagome asked hanyo boy looked at her with chary eyes. "There might be some injured that haven't passed away yet. I also have my first aid kit."

"What about Songo and that Miroku." Inuyasha often forgot things too but he hadn't forgotten that Songo and Miroku were supposed to meet back with them today. They would be meeting them very soon and not to far away from where they were on the dirt path, also the fact that they were both alone too.

"They can find us, and they can protect each other," Kagome answered. "Please Inuyasha. Please."

He often didn't like interfering with affairs that were only centered on humans. He was a half-bread, but still he only felt like his intervention was only necessary when demons had attacked human settlements, and killed them. Nevertheless; he did sense a small hint of demonic activity, also Kagome was human and to her it meant tremendously.

"Alright, the quickest way to the village is if we cut through this leg of the forest he said pointing across the emerald green fields and towards the outskirts of a dense forest. She nodded and hopped off her bike and walked it towards their new destination.

Inside the forest was dark. The canopy was thick and loomed high over the two travelers. Kagome wheeled her bicycle over to a large tree that had toppled over with its roots hideously sticking and twisting out in all directions. She crouched down and placed her bike up against it carefully. With the gentle wipe of her left wrist she wiped away several beads of sweat that were trailing down her forehead. Even in the shaded woodland it was still a hot day, and now it was becoming a frightful day as well. She heard someone's footsteps behind her; she could hear twigs and branches snapping under foot. She whirled around but smiled when she saw her friend clothed in red holding an arm full of ferns.

"You know that things gonna need camouflage too," he said with a smirk. Kogame took the ferns from him and planted them in the dirt so they would resemble those flourishing still in the soil. When she was done she stood up and tapped Inuyasha on the shoulder, he was once again tending to his sword.

"Can you put this in my backpack." She handed him a large metal bottle of aid-spray for disinfecting open wounds.

"Sure." Kagome turned around and he opened up the main pocket of the innovative bag. Shuffling through it he recognized medical tools like bandages and the intricate double blades called scissors. He found a small sleeve inside the corner of the bag and slipped it into it. "All set."

"Thank you," Kagome thanked bending over to get her quiver of arrows. Inuyasha admired her figure from this view point.

After an hour trumping through the vast and green woodlands they came to the end of the forest. There was a small dirt path that ran from the forest and down a steep sloping hill. Inuyasha pointed out towards the path.

"Down that hill, it's probably not much more than about a mile."

Kagome starred ahead stepping over a damp and dark log. She was happy to be leaving the forest. She liked nature but the bugs and strange echoes from the animals weren't something up her alley. Suddenly, she saw something up ahead. Initially, it looked like a small dark object bobbing up and down, it was the head of an individual walking up the sandy path way. Soon the figure began to rise and rise over the sloping hill until they could see the individual completely. Kagome could tell that it was a man by the way he was built and how he moved. It appeared that he was limping or favoring his right foot.

"See that?" Kagome said in a low voice.

"Yeah I see'em. He's gettin close and I don't like it," Inuyasha's hand began to tighten around the hilt of his Tessaiga. If he wasn't sure of someone or didn't know who they were he always had a very negative or defensive reaction towards their presence. The figure continued to come over the hill and now he was down the path.

Kagome crept behind the hanyo boy and held an arrow in her right hand. She wasn't sure yet what to make of this oncoming individual. Was he a fleeing villager? Or was he an injured Mongol retreating. Her gut told her that it was probably the first one. Inuyasha's breathing began to pick up and it also grew heavy. Her breath also grew thick. She could feel her blood starting to pulse through her body, and her heart started to beat with vigorous speed. Then to their revelation, the invader fell to one knee on the path. Kagome skulked around Inuyasha with caution. She could now literally make out the features of the stranger.

He was wearing odd clothing that looked something like the garments of an American Indian, and a sword sheathed in a scabbard was attached to his waist. He was wearing some kind of helmet that resembled a thick caviler helmet worn by modern infantry. He was panting heavy and looked to be on his last few breaths. Kagome stood up tall and looked at him even closer. Now she noticed there was a dark pool growing around his knee that was pressed to the ground. He started to sway on his wounded knee, and then he fell forwards. He braced his hands against the sand to prevent his upper body from hitting the path. She now noticed his hands were also bloody. Kagome bit her lip in frustration; she wanted to go running out in the open and try and aid him. She knew that it was dangerous and Inuyasha would go berserk at her naïve nature.

"I don't think he's a Mongol invader," she said softly.

"Well if not that then what? And how would you know how they look?" Inuyasha protested.

"Trust me; I've scene drawings and representations of Genghis Kahn and other Mongols from the Feudal Era." Each passing second it got harder and harder for her to watch this man suffer in twinge. He abruptly started to cough, blood sprayed on the ground in small dark droplets. "Oh my God," she gasped placing a hand over her mouth. Inuyasha glanced down at her. He knew it would be dishonorable to let this man die with such despair and agony. He didn't want to endanger her or his life, but on the other hand he wanted to know who this person was. He glimpsed at the bed of pine needles at his feet. He saw a rock not much bigger than his fist. There was always the possibility that what they saw was a trap! Some demons that lived in the mountains where his father once lived would save one villager from a village they attacked and used the injured person to lure out their enemies. Humans were also notorious for using injured villagers as bait, and then several lurking archers would ambush them violently. _Maybe a flying rock would startle them and cause them to fire prematurely. _It was a sure possibility if they had already knocked arrows to their bows and were restraining them in place.With a grunt the demon boy flung the rock through the overlooking canopy and landed a few feet from the panting stranger. Nothing followed that could have been passed off as an attack. The stranger didn't even look up from where he was coughing. _Damn! Maybe this guy is for real. _

Kagome jumped up from where she had been squatting on the forest floor and darted towards the wounded alien.

"What the hell are you doing?! Kagome!" He clinched his sharp teeth with frustration. _That girl is gonna be the freakin death of me _he thought angrily.

Kagome trotted down the path with her composite red bow. She was now close enough to catch the sent of the stranger's blood and could see the man's injuries in far greater detail. He didn't even look up to notice that she was only a few feet from him. She got down on her hands and knees and looked at him with sweet eyes of pity. He coughed again this time more violent; with his left hand he began to clutch his stomach with intensity. Kagome took a deep breath with confidence; she started to lean towards him and placed a fragile thin hand on his shoulder. Heat from the wounds on his arm caused her whole hand to warm up like a furnace.

"It's okay," she said in a soothing voice. "Just take it easy." Then he looked up at her. Now she realized who he was, he was an Ainu. She had never seen an Ainu person before, especially not in person. Suddenly he stopped coughing, however; his intense wheezing continued. Gradually, he lifted his head upwards to make eye contact with Kagome. Now she certainly knew he was an Ainu man. His features were very different from hers and were quite rugged; he also had a small beard that looked like it was starting to fill in. She knew that Ainu men never cut their beards when they started to fill out. Unexpectedly, his rocky and tough face formed a bright smile that could light up all of Tokyo.

"Well what do ya know, it looks like there is hope after all," he spoke positively. Kagome was speechless.

"What happened to you?" she asked with eyes wide with shock.

"I thought you'd never ask. Not to far from here there is or should I say was a very large village of rice farmers and fishermen."

"Were they attacked by the invaders?"

"Yep," he answered her in a slightly less affirmative voice. "They were attacked by these foreign barbarians called Mongols. They were originally employed by the Shogunate to clear out the northern forests. Where my people dwell," he began to speak in a darker more solemn tone that chilled Kagome to the pit of her soul. She knew all too well how some of her ancestors bigoted the Ainu tribes. "Still, we fought off many, but now that the law banning aliens is temporarily lifted, all kinds of thieves and other savages from the mainland have poured into this country. Many of the Mongols fight under the command of Sheejin Khan and his mad shaman Temoochin." Kagome brought her whirling mind of questions to a halt for a moment and thought about what he was saying.

_The government must have hired them to take care of his people, but now I'm assuming that they have gone on killing spree_

"The real conflict at hand right now is that the strong Samurai clans are at war with each other, so pushing these monsters out will be that much harder." He coughed again, and again each passing cough was more sadistic than the previous. "I am someone of the Xumar."

"Who are they?"

"We are an omnibus of warriors that answer to no lord and only fight for ourselves, and for the protection of others." Kagome did not recognize the name of his organization, but if he was telling her the truth then they sounded something like a Feudal Japanese version of the Jedi Knights. She started to stray from looking into his face and noticed all the damages he had taken. His thick checkered shirt was covered with blood, and so were his trousers. It hurt Kagome to know how much blood he must have lost. Looking past his upper body she saw several small pegs of wood protruding out of his hamstring and calf muscles. Those were shattered arrow shafts! She could tell by their shape and circumference, and the painted rings that ran up and down them. One of them however looked more like a half splintered stick with its light interior wood exposed.

_How cruel! _She thought forlornly. They must have shot at him while he was fleeing from the battle site.

"I and several other members were dispatched to go and try and collect the wounded villagers. When we arrived our very spirits were shaken when we saw the mountain of skulls and corpses strewn everywhere. It seemed at first they had slaughtered everyone, but a few children had cleverly hidden themselves beneath the boards of a large temple that was only slightly burned." He coughed again in agony. "However; our savage enemies were smarter than we thought. Many had been waiting on the outskirts of the village and hid themselves in buildings that hadn't been burned. They ambushed us, but we held our ground. Several of my men took the children to safety while I and a few of my best corporals held off the rest of those monsters. Our benevolence and bravery had come though with a great price as you can see," he said with a forced bruised grin. Even though he was badly injured it seemed like his will power and good spirit hadn't even been scratched. I was the only survivor of the ambush attack, or should I say the only one I know of."

"You're far away from that danger now," Kagome said softly tenderly rubbing his back. She tried her best to be consoling, even if she was getting his blood all over her hand. The man looked up at her and grinned again.

"I wish it was that easy. There is another whole brigade of them headed this way. I know there are several other small villages around here, and with so many of my warriors scattered around the country side it would be impossible to defend them, or warn them at the least. That is something you have to carry out for us." Kagome felt her stomach tighten and her heart skip hastily.

"That will be no burden for us, we will carry it out with pride," this time when she spoke she sounded a little bit more confident in her tone of voice. "But you-" she was cut off by his short unforeseen positive explanation.

"I know. It sucks. I'm still ready to go into another battle, and my spirit isn't working against me. To bad my heart just doesn't want to keep up," He spoke with a laugh. Kagome had never seen such a positivistic outlook in a man at the end of his breaths. "Do it for not just me, but do it for all of the people in this land. It is all me or my clan will ever ask of you," he broke his eye contact with Kagome and started to cough again. Each time the grazed warrior hacked Kagome felt her heart jump with sadness. His right hand that had been stabilizing his body slipped forward and his body hit the ground. She could tell by the way his shoulders were slightly moving up and down with his chest that he was still drawing breath, but now it was so weak it was reduced to a hiss.

Kagome wiped away a tear that traveled down her right cheek. Her sensitive heart jumped out to him with sympathy, it was a sad way to go for one who was so courageous and altruistic.

"Tell me. What is your name?" she asked running a soft hand down his damaged arm. His head shifted in the sand so he could see her bright chocolate eyes.

"Koshiminaro," he said in a weak but prideful voice.

"Then rest well Koshinminaro, you have done your best and have made many proud." She didn't know a lot about him or his accomplishments but in her book he was a victor in life. Deep down inside her heart she knew, she was positive, that he was legitimate, and his words valid. "May the spirits watch over you," she said clasping her hands together.

"Oh don't worry, they sure will." Kagome half turned and saw Inuyasha standing over her. The Hanyo boy had been standing there for almost the entire time she had been with the dying Ainu. His long sleeved red arms were crossed in his usual standing pose. "I'll admit I was dead wrong about that guy." The whole time Inuyasha had anticipated that he was an actor or a wounded fool being used as a decoy. Instead the Ainu was a true hero that Inuyasha admired greatly. Kagome got up from her knees and batted at her skirt and her knees, knocking away the sand and dirt from the trial. She looked over her shoulder at the dead member of the Xumar, she felt another stab of pity. Quietly she stepped over to Inuyasha and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Well now we've got a new responsibility for today's agenda," he said placing a comforting hand on her back. _The least I could do for him is move his body out of the path. _However; there was a positive side to taking on this troop of villains, it would give him a chance to try out his newly sharpened Tessaiga, and this would levitate some of the trouble finding Naraku. So many of these human conflicts crossed with demons terrorizing human settlements has always been a big fork in the road for Inuyasha and his comrades. Plus, it would feel great to avenge a human that was so strong and brave. "Okay. Lets do this," he said in her ear. She pulled away from him and picked up her red bow.

Inuyasha threw the dead warrior of the Xumar over his shoulder and carried him over to the forest. With his powerful hands he unearthed enough dirt to make a small hole to burry him. Kagome placed a beautiful set of tulips on his burial grounds and said a few more words of endearment. It was all the time they had for a funeral. They both walked over to where the path formed a small slope and ran down the hill to the valley below.

"Alright now," Inuyasha spoke in a commanding voice. "I'll hit these bastards head on, while you go get to Miroku and Songo. You'll all have to do your best to get to the villages, they're all scattered a few miles apart from each other." Kagome nodded. "Koshinminaro will not die with out justice." Kagome smiled at his self-assured remark. He turned from her and started to walk down the path. Just then, he felt her grab his shoulder. With questioning a eyebrow raised he peered over it at her.

"Be careful," she said softly. Inuyasha said nothing. The only responding gesture she saw was a smug smirk that came across his face with delight. Inuyasha never walked into battle with fear in his heart. The only thing that slightly troubled him was the thought that one of those freaks that injured Koshinminaro would find her alone, and he wouldn't be there to protect her. The Inuyasha had faith in her, and he knew that it wouldn't shrivel just because they were going to be apart from each other. _Don't worry Kagome, they will all fall to the Earth._ Another thing that wasn't getting off his mind was the small hint of demonic energy he kept sensing. It was very odd because usually it was possible to sense where it was coming from. This time he seemed to notice that it was all around him in the air, but it didn't tackle his senses like it usually did. Inusyasha didn't like it.

When he got into the deep valley, the repugnant essence of blood and warfare was becoming ever so overwhelming. The hanyo boy never told anyone, not even Kagome, but sometimes the dark sent intoxicated him. _Damn senses. _Generally facing a strong opponent was a gift, but this time it had a haunting premise. Walking like a ghost through the high grass and small trees he heard something! Something was moving in one of the trees that dotted the vast landscape. The trees were spread apart quite a bit, so any scout or ninja would be a fool to use them as a way to maneuver around the area. Naturally he assumed it was a bird or some other minor creature. Right around the same time as the discomforting sound arose he felt a sharp tremor ripple through the Earth beneath his bare feet.

Spinning like a professional swordsmen he turned in all directions with his Tessaiga drawn. He didn't see anyone. Patiently the hanyo waited and waited for a few moments. Nothing emerged from anywhere! _Good. Now I'm being tailed. _Beneath his feet he felt another tremor, this one was feeble and instead of pounding at his sensitive feet they felt more like soft caresses. Another thing about them that was different was the fact that they were constant and flowed like a thriving river. _If my senses aren't lying _he placed a sensitive ear to the ground and listened carefully to the tremors. He was right! They were the sound and aggressive vibrations of horse hooves pounding away at the ground. Peered

"Damn. That's one hell of a pack coming my way." There were more, many more than the hanyo had expected. When Koshinminaro said that there were many, he really meant numerous. "Well at least this way I can really get some exercise today." Behind the demon boy an unknown figure cloaked in shadow gazed around one of the trees. A dark smile came upon its face and it then disappeared in the tall dark grass and weeds.

Inuyasha came to the end of the great forest, in front of him a gigantic river flowed robustly. There were rocks large and small that stood latent under the white rushing waters, and some protruded out like small mountains and cliffs. Above birds flew by and released vivid calls to each other.

"Those guys better leave," he said unsheathing his great sword glaring at the cobalt and cloudless sky. In the far distance he heard the noise of the barbarians and ronins crashing and marching through the woodlands. "This couldn't have come at a better time," Inuyasha said aiming his blade at the river. Across from where he stood and on the other side of the river there was a small beach with a few trees sprouting up from the ground. Past the beach the landscape became dense with trees and other plants again. The environment was perfect for the demon boy to blunt their assault.

He couldn't have been positioned better. Where he was positioned the river was somewhat shallow so his adversaries could cross, up stream the rapids were to dangerous. When they would arrive at the beach they would spread out making them an easy target for some of Inuyasha's surprise attacks. The water was also a vital vantage point for Inuyasha. With the swing of his powerful Tessaiga he could create a force wave, which would knock those crossing in the river on their backs, and would drench and disorganize and muddle those on the beach. Inuyasha didn't know a great deal about these Mongol barbarians, but Miroku told him a few things about their battle strategy. On wide open plains and immense fields they were effective by carrying out hit and run raids. They would fire a barrage of arrows then withdraw quickly. Inuyasha found it to be a repugnant way to face off against an opponent. However; here their strategy would be ineffective. The dense forest did not provide them the room or terrain to maneuver their horses, they were almost better on foot so they could take to the trees for safety. The only alternative they had was to hold their position and fire, and against Inuyasha that would be a very large mistake. He was a master of close quarters combat, and he never lost when he got set on a sturdy location. His zealous eyes pierced the dark green landscape beyond where he stood. A beautiful and lethargic cloud of fog gradually drifted through the forest, adding a stunning and glooming silhouette to the forest. Suddenly the roar of what sounded like a thousand savage combatants ripped through out the forest floor to the dense canopy and straight throughout Inuyasha's ears. Inuyasha understood it to be their battle cry and warning to those who cross their paths.

"Bring it on," Inuyasha said in a low and confident voice. The hanyo boy was ready to clash blades with what ever was going to come charging out of the thick and murky forests that loomed in front of him. Vaguely he started to see something moving in the shadowy woodlands. Ferns and trees were shaking and what looked like heads bobbling up and down on the backs of horses. His breath got heavier each time he exhaled and inhaled. In moments a good portion of the Mongols, ronins, and other barbarians were now in clear sight as they emerged from the black forest and trumped onto the beach.

The majority of the Mongol warriors were mounted on the backs of rugged and dreadful looking small horses. They wore brown clothing made from animal furs. They held short and composite bows with a small quiver of arrows strapped to their shoulders, some even had a few extra quivers carrying more ammunition that were attached to their saddles by dark leather strips. On their heads they wore helms that resembled those of the samurai warriors. Except the Mongolian helms were smaller, and also not as stylistic as the samurai version. On foot walked the craggy ronins. Many of them were bald and had a single large pony tail that was protruding out of the backs of their scalps. Others had long locks of dark braided hair with beads and other jewelry. Many of them had rounded shields and carried swords or crude spears of ash. Many of them had scarred faces and wrecked teeth. All held the same sinister expressions in their haunting appearance. It looked as if their facial idioms had been carved from firm stone; they looked as if you could cut sheet metal on their hard features. There were other barbarians in the group Inuyasha did not recognize at all. They were the most primal and bizarre looking of the bunch. Their masks were made from skulls that resembled a deer or an antelope. Large horns protruded out of their masks, and were decorated with painted rings. Lots of them were carrying large bones that Inuyahsa assumed were a substitute for clubs or mattocks. They wore the less clothing and no armor at all. The only clothing they wore was a grass skirt or cleaved and scratched up shorts. Around their wrists they wore metal bracelets and golden amulets around their necks. In front of the gauntlet of warriors stood a short man, with his fists resting on his waist. He was dressed in black silk with fingerless gloves. A dark purple vale covered his face, with only an eye strip for the individual to see. The mystic figure reminded Inuyasha of some kind of ninja, like the ones he encountered once at Hiroshima castle. He looked closely at Inuyasha, and narrowed his slanted eyes until they were black slits. The red hanyo boy held his stance; he wasn't going to advance from his position until the timing was just right. With both hands he held his Tessaiga in its true form. The ninja looking warrior took note of its strange appearance. To him the blade looked like a giant fang, and fur dangled freely and fluently from its white hilt. The mystic combatant raised his right hand with all his fingers raised erectly. Astonishingly all the warriors stopped dead in their tracks. Inuyasha was amazed by their discipline and heightened reaction timing. The dark figure that had raised his hand took a few steps towards him. Then he spoke in a very sinister and raspy voice, this did not astound him.

"Are you another fool dispatched by the Xumar?"

"Does it matter?" Inuyasha inquired with clinched teeth.

"Because if you were; I would be thrilled to add you to my assortment." Inuyasha looked past the mystic and dreaded leader and almost lost his breath. Behind him there were two mounted Mongol warriors with long wooden staffs. On the ends of the wooden poles were the heads of who probably were servants of the Xumar. The Mongol on the right side had the head of what looked like a Shoalin monk, bold and expressionless. The one left to the mystifying leader had the head of a girl with long dark hair, probably not a whole lot older than Kagome. Several droplets of blood slithered down the pole like a stocking snake. There faces were dotted and smudged with dirt and mud.

"Damn you!" he said in a enraged voice.

"I suggest you move, we have much to do," the ninja leader snarled.

"I thought those eyes of yours could see." The masked individual growled with anger. "I'm not movin! Unless you guys think you can handle the task," the hanyo boy taunted. Just then about eight of the Mongolian cavalry arches lined up behind their leader. These barbarians had the largest of the composite bows, and were now knocking arrows to them.

"Oh. Were more than competent," the leader once again snarled raising his right hand again. As his hand ascended into the air the mounted archers started to apply resistance to their bow strings. For a few seconds his hand remained in the air, it seemed that he knew exactly how much pressure was required to fire a lethal and accurate shot. Sharply he brought down his hand and the archers fired almost instantaneously. The arrows whistled through the air at Inuyasha with great speed. With a smile and a swing of his powerful sword with a single hand he completely shut down their attack.

The arrow heads crashed on the edge and strong of his sword, and their shafts shattered like inferior twigs. The whole crowd looked on with devastation as the debris of the shattered arrow shafts rained in front of the hanyo boy.

"Hhu! What the hell was that?" Inuyasha questioned with an arrogant smile. Behind the vale of the leader his face grew tense with rage. "I hope that wasn't your idea of a ferocious volley, because that was sad." The mystic leader reached over his shoulder. From behind his back he drew a large shimmering sword. Elegantly, he pulled another sword from behind the one Inuyasha saw, revealing that it was two blades he had hidden behind his back. Eagerly the other warriors began to crowd around their leader. _Good now I can bring down the majority with just one swing. _

The ninja leader released a roar, which to Inuyasha sounded more like a shriek. With all their might they charged forwards, weapons drawn, spirits released. _I see I haven't introduced them to my latest attack. _This new attack he called the cascade compress, it was true to its name since it could only be used when a body of water subsisted in front of him. With both hands placed firmly on his swords hilt and with power from both his arms he swung his blade with an uppercut motion. The water formed a colossal curling wave and crashed on the opposing barbarians. The ashen hastening waters knocked them over like small rickety ships in the middle of a fierce typhoon. Confusion broke out across the beach as the after math of the force wave came crashing towards their proximity. The power from the force wave shook the earth like a violent earthquake. Some of the Mongols fell from their steeds while the ronins kneeled down behind their shields. One of the ronins peered past his shield. In the blinding luminosity of the sun he so a dark red figure come sailing at him through the sky. It was Inuyasha! He brought his huge blade down on the dazed ronin and shattered his shield like it was a slender sheet of ice on pavement.

"I'll take all of you grunts on," Inuyasha said raising his Tessaiga.

Else where, Kagome continued her journey to warn the other villages. These were the times when she had the most fear in her heart. She was alone, and she knew that conflicts were brewing everywhere. This time it didn't have anything to deal with the jewel shards or Naraku. However; she felt in her heart that it was possible that one of those elements could be the driving force behind this madness and warfare.

"Damn," she said swatting at a bug on her bare soft thigh. She rarely ever cursed; Inuyasha did a lot of that for both of them. Moving through the forest off of the main trail was no picnic and she certainly wasn't doing it by choice. Staying on the main path was too dangerous especially now that there were numerous miscreants sneaking about the country side. She parted a bush and stepped over a large log. However; in front of the log laid a giant dead horse. With both fear and awe she stumbled backwards and tripped up over the log she had stepped over. The sent of fresh blood always shot her heart rate through the roof. Resting back on her palms she looked past between her knees. The corpse was not old; it both looked and smelled fairly recent. It was looked very similar to the large horses that the samurai used for riding into battle. It had shurkens and ninja stars obtruding from crimson bloody wounds on the steed's neck and rib cage. "What could have done this?" she asked herself. Since the shots looked like they had been accurately thrown at the animal and had damaged it in keen spots on its body, she assumed it was the handy work of ninja.

She got up to her feet and walked around the reeking cadaver. She shivered with the thought of how the pour beast was shot to death wish those nasty looking ninja stars and knifelike weapons. The only thought she kept in her mind was the notion of getting to safety and warning the villagers and her companions. Not far from where she stepped over murky rocks and mushrooms, a dark figure watched silently from the shelter of a thick cluster of ferns.


	2. Battle Beneath The Canopy

Battle Beneath The Canopy 

This is the sequel to Arrival Of A New Kind Of Adversary and picks up exactly where it left us at a cliff hanger! Check it out! And Enjoy!!!

Kagome could feel her stomach grow instinctively tighter and tighter. Even in the darkness and in the shadows of the forest floor, she did not feel secluded in any way. All around her birds chirped, and insects crawled beneath her feet, but she felt so distant from the life in the forest. This was not her element, especially since she didn't know these forests too well either. From behind her back, and from inside a bush, a swift rustle ripped through the serene air. She pivoted sure-footedly, hair gracefully swaying with her fluid movement. Nothing followed. Her eyes traced the entire environment. The forest floor, the tree trunks and bushes, the impending canopy with dazzling light glistening through it, there wasn't a trace of movement or sighting that she could have assumed was one of those ninja that slaughtered that steed or something worse. She shivered coldly.

_I wish Inuyasha was with me _she thought rubbing her left arm. With another deep breath she relaxed and eased her muscles and continued through the dark forest. Not far from where she was standing stood a great oak tree. On the other side of the oak tree a man dressed all in black silk wearing a black veil with a red head band lurked. His back was pressed up against the massive tree trunk with his hands at his side. He silently kneeled down and opened a small box no bigger than a tea cup. From the floor of the tiny box he pulled out a small piece of metal and circular shaped metallic object. Vigilantly, he placed the small piece of metal in the dirt. With the disc, he tapped against the metal object several times. Close to a hundred feet away several other ninjas were spaced out around the brown and green forest floor. Many of them held small bamboo tubes to their ears and placed them in the dirt. Hastily, the sound traveled up the tubes, bouncing off and at their eardrums. This was how they kept in check with one another. The vibrations they encountered were sharp, and persistent, this meant it was time to close in. However; there tactics relied heavily on stealth and precision. They all pulled their hearing aids from the dirt, exchanged glances and all went their separate ways. One ran through the forest floor, one dove into some bushes, and another began climbing a near by pine tree.

Back at the river, Inuyasha was fighting with all his heart. With his left foot he planted a kick on a charging ronin, and sent him crashing to the ground. From his right side another ronin charged. He knocked the fool to the dirt with a swing of his Tessaiga.

_That is the beat of horse hoofs on dirt. _He pivoted and saw several Mongolian warriors charging at him. One of them fired an arrow from a short bow. Inuyasha dodged it and struck the barbarian with his weighty blade. In the corner of his left eye he glanced several riders with lances drawn, closing in quickly. With a single horizontal swipe he splintered their spear tips and then with another huge swing cut the legs of the horse's right out from under them. They crashed hard behind the hanyo boy. He turned to face more of them. _Damn! They just keep comin!_ They knocked arrows to their bows and fired at him in a mass. The demon boy quickly dropped to one knee and shielded himself with his sword. Many of the arrows glanced off the colossal blade like pine needles tumbling down on stones. One of the arrows got passed his sword and grazed his forearm. When the volley ended he stood up from behind his blade with pride in his eyes.

"Nice," he said coolly. Gradually he ran a hardy hand over his gaping wound. Then with a slash of his hands he released another one of his devastating attacks. It was known as the blades of blood. They were energy particles released from his blood stream when the plasma in his blood was exposed to oxygen. The crimson, tumbling, radiant, glowing crescents ripped through the battle ground. On impact they tore through both the barbarians and their hideous steeds. Their torn armor and bellows of agony ripped through the air. Around a dozen of the Mongolian warriors laid in defeat around Inuyasha in a bloody circle. "So, does anybody else think they can give me trouble, or are we gonna call this it!" he said smugly. Suddenly from behind him he met his answer. A huge primal looking antelope-skull masked warrior rose with his enormous bone he used as a club. The hulky warrior brought it down and it crashed with Inuyasha's Tessaiga. Inuyasha lifted his sword and blocked his on coming attack with his blade held horizontally. The beast man gradually applied more and more pressure on the hanyo boy. Grinding his teeth he held his stance, and with a grunt pushed his opponent backwards. The huge warrior wobbled backwards like a monotonous drunk. Pushing with both knees Inuyasha jumped into the air and with both feet drop kicked the behemoth. The gargantuan combatant released a buffoonish sounding below as he crashed on his back. Getting up from the ground Inuyasha shattered the bone club of another advancing skull masked barbarian. With speed, power, and aggression all on his positive side he lunged forward and landed a punch on his mask. It shattered and the warrior fell silently to the ground. Another one lunged himself at Inuyasha, he ducked his head and bent his back. The warrior landed on the hanyo, but then the demon boy lifted his back with great force and flung the animal skull masked goon through the air. Another large animal skull masked fighter charged toward him with ferocity. Inuyasha knocked his weapon to the Earth and then brought his great sword down on the barbarian's wooden chest plate. The tattooed giant fell backwards bellowing deeply in pain. There were still a cluster of warriors that glared at him from the far side of the beach. Inuyasha looked back at them from across the terrain.

Many warriors had been knocked out by the cascade compress attack and the force wave that was produced from it frightened many away. This cluster was made up of some of the strongest warriors of each group. There were still a few more of the tattooed and primal looking warriors wearing the animal skulls. There were a couple of Mongols and a small band of ronins. They all had the intent to kill the hanyo boy, but fear and uncertainty seemed to congeal their actions.

"Don't just stand there!" A voice called up from the ground. Most of the water that crashed on the beach from the cascade attack had subsided, and at the edge of the water laid that ninja looking soldier, the leader of the group. "He is nothing more than a hanyo! A mere half breed, he is only partly a threat to us!" he roared pointing his long katana blade from where he laid. Inuyasha's teeth drudged against each other with anger and frustration.

"Half breed huh!" he growled in a livid voice that was foreign to the ears of his adversaries. "Well, if I'm what you say I am, come and prove it!" With both hands he held his blade upwards with conceit. The arrogant chief of the barbarian brigade got to his feet, dripping wet still from the crashing waves that pummeled him and his first wave of attackers. Silently the other warriors watched with their lethal armaments at their side. This conflict was now centered on Inuyasha and their leader, and it would be dishonorable for any to step in randomly at this stage in the melee. With cat like agility the warrior dove like an Olympic diver, and curled into a ball and somersaulted across the sand. When the warrior sprang upwards with both his swords pointed outwards like lances, Inuyasha had a powerful defense. With all his cunningness, he side stepped his attacker's blades and brought his Tessaiga down on his opponent's swords. They shattered the same way the arrows fired from the Mongolian horse men, with their shards spinning and twirling through the air shimmering and reflecting in the radiant sunlight. With his amber and confident eyes he glanced over at the crew of remaining combatants. Then with out any further words they all turned from him and dashed away into the misty forests like cowards shrieking and yelling pusillanimously.

"Here you may have been victorious, but this was only a small taste of things that are to come," stated the defeated ninja warrior lying on his stomach in the sand. Inuyasha shifted his attention over to his beaten adversary, and gazed at him with hate. "There are tens of thousands of barbarians who are about to fall upon these lands, and will tear down any that oppose them. Not to mention the ronins who have mingled their way into the samurai courts. Also there are the samurai clans that now challenge even the mighty power of the Shogun and the emperor. Like the way the Mongols gradually chip and stab away at their opponents piece by piece, so will our forces until there is nothing left of the Xumar or this corrupt government and its deplorable civilization." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed with hatred growing ever more severe. Then he began to cough that turned into a scruffy laugh. "To think that a fool like yourself could stop a revolution with a sword, Hahahha!! Inuyasha had to fully restrain himself with all his might from cutting open this sad excuse of a warrior. "And a hanyo, haha!" **Blllllk! **Inuyasha put an end to the masked warrior's taunting with his foot stomping flat on his back. Muscles squished and bones crushed under the pressure of the hanyo boy's foot.

"Waste," he said under his breath. For a few seconds he detached himself from the issues at hand. From side to side, left to right, he looked over the landscape covered with injured, dead, and most of all defeated foes that had at one time been a formidable force to be reckoned with. He simply shrugged and sheathed his sword. _Bloody business as usual_. "Come on old friend, we have to find our dearest companion," He said to his beloved sword in its dark scabbard. He stepped over his crushed enemy and started walking down the battle torn beach.

Kagome's footsteps were the only thing she heard. The sound of soft leaves and pine needles caressed her astute ear drums. Something wasn't right. _Why is it so quiet all of a sudden? _The silence was only adding to her stressed and her worried mind. **Crimp! Crimp! Crimp! **Her foot steps started to echo in her mind. **Crimp! Crimp! Crimp! Cruuump! Crimp! **_What on Earth was that? _She asked to nobody but her troubled self. There was a foot step sound she did not recognize, and it sounded too deep in tone to be one of her own. _Someone is following me. _Her heart's rate began to quicken at a feverish pace. _I'm frickin paranoid! I'm the only person out here. _Was she? Or was it not a human but a demon. She started to walk slower so her foot steps weren't as loud so she could listen more carefully to other sounds that passed in and out of existence. She gripped her large red bow tightly but found no security in doing so. _Where is Inuyasha? _Desperately she desired him more right now than any weapon in the world. **Crump!** There was that noise again. _This is starting to get freaky!_Inuyasha once told her that when danger was emerging, the forest always became your greatest ally. Kagome could actually feel that theory coming true. The echoing birds seemed to becoming more and more faint, and the insects weren't as fierce as they had been earlier. It almost seemed that the forest was holding off its usual duties so she could focus on this new threat rising from the shadows. Suddenly in the corner of her left eye she caught movement, it was hard to make out what it was, but she didn't like it. She felt fear and aggression flow and sink through out her, like wine dampening dry cloth. Gradually her breath became heavier and more controlled with each second. Unexpectedly her feet felt the latest proof that she was being followed. A slight tremor ripped through the ground beneath her feet. _Someone or something just descended! _She thought with fear and suspicion. About 15 yards from where she stood a stick tumbled to the forest floor. When it landed it made a very dull and quiet thump. The falling stick and the quiet thump reminded her of death. One minute passing through the air with all the freedom in the universe, and then silent as the universe itself. Now she knew it was either make a move, or fall motionless. With out anymore thoughts she quickly turned and sprinted for her life.

Running through the forest she leaped over logs and intuitively ducking under swaying branches. The only thing she focused on now was getting through the forest, or some place to hide until she met up with Inuyasha. **Thunka! Thunka! Thunka! Thththunka! **In the heat of her escape attempt she heard foot steps trailing not to far behind her. Overhead she heard something whistle passed her; she didn't even look to see where the object landed. In the quarter of her left eye she saw a dark shadowy figure drop down from the canopy. Another object whistled past her head. It was now obvious what they were attempting. _They're trying to take me down with those bladed objects._ A ninja star flew right past her left leg, grazing it slightly. Blood fell from her sprinting leg in small shimmering scarlet droplets and disintegrated in the wind. The fact that her leg was bleeding didn't even faze her just slightly. She kept swaying her arms and picking her feet up as quickly as she could. Jumping over a damp fungus infested stump she saw a dark figure moving across the dark green forest floor. She was now in the heart of the woodland and there was very limited light shining through the thick canopy. As she dashed vehemently she saw the dark figure running right beside her. Something red attached to his head like a head band or a bandana was blowing belligerently in the air. She was only really only capable of catching mere glimpses of him as he passed through the pools of radiant light shimmering through the dense tree tops.

_Why are they so determined to bring me down so violently? _Many questions all of sudden began appearing in her head. Was that dead horse a steed of a Xumar warrior? Did they assume she was a member of the enigmatic organization? Or was it because she tried aiding one of them, that young Ainu man. Then she quickly released her attention from her troubling thoughts and noticed she was headed straight for a couple of large bushes. She crossed her forearms, and lowered her pretty head behind them. _Here goes nothing! _She thought as she busted through the large plants. The small branches brushed and scratched her lean body. When she came through on the other side she felt the Earth beneath her feet give way. _What The?!_ Then her head went tumbling forward and the whole world began to spin around her. In actuality the world wasn't spinning sadistically, she was. At the other end of the bushes the ground dropped off and formed a very steep slope covered with plants and stones. She rolled like a log tumbling down a mountain side until she landed in a thick bed of moss. Painfully, Kagome rolled over onto her back and shielded her eyes from the powerful rays of the sun. _What just happened!_   
Gradually she crawled to her knees and looked up at where she had fallen and tumbled. She saw for herself that the bushes were right there where the ground angled downwards into a steep slope. She hit herself over the head. _Idiot. _When Kagome attempted to stand, a new kind of pain shot through her. A new stabbing and burning kind of pain. She shrieked and sobbed in great agony. _Another classic move idiot. Just give away your hidden location. _Through her tears she could see that her bare knee had a nasty gash. Carefully she wiped away the blood and pulled out the can of aid spray from her bag. She sprayed it directly on the cut, and bit her lower lip; it was the only thing keeping her from balling her eyes out loudly. Then she placed a small piece of cloth over the wound and applied lots of pressure. With her free hand she pulled a small roll of white tape out from her bag. She saw a small sapling sprouting up from the ground. _Perfect._ She limped a few steps over to it and pushed the small tree through the hole in the middle of the roll of tape. A small branch kept the small roll from sliding down the slender plant. She pulled a long strip from it, and then stuck it on the cloth she held tightly to her wounded leg. Carefully she pivoted her whole body, hence wrapping her leg up. She had to keep pressure on her wounded knee and part of her thigh. She saw Inuyasha do something similar to what she was doing once when he had broken his hand. He had used his teeth to suspend his bandage while the other hand raveled the piece of cloth around his injured hand. After a few spins she had wrapped herself up pretty good, and almost taped both her legs together a few times. From her life saving backpack she withdrew a pair of scissors and cut the tape strip that was sticking to her leg. Painfully she rubbed her leg, nothing she could feel felt broken, but she was positive that the tendons and fibers in her knee were probably badly bruised and damaged. With a slender hand she brushed her brilliant dark hair out of her face, and looked all around the new terrain that surrounded her. The trees were as high as the ones that she had encountered, although they were separated and spread out along the forest floor.

This slightly comforted Kagome. Now with all these trees spaced out apart from each other it would be harder for the ninjas to lurk and ambush her. At first the troubled girl assumed that they were trying to lure her into a trap, but it was hard to decipher if that had been their true intentions. Not far from where she bandaged herself she saw a long, willowy, radiant red object in the high grass. It was her bow. Carefully Kagome crawled across the grass, trying to be as silent as possible. The wind began to blow through the trees causing them to sway and dance in the indistinguishable force. _Excellent, _the bow hadn't been damaged even slightly. Both the bow string and the bow itself seemed as normal as ever. With a deep breath Kagome rose to her feet. Survival wasn't looking as futile as it had when the ninjas were pursing her. When she turned around though, for the first time, she met her attacker face to face. There were two ninjas dressed in dark smooth clothing; their faces were hidden by veils.

"Hey," she said trying to force herself to smile holding both her hands up in a non- threatening gesture. _Hey! There pursing you and trying to kill you possibly, and that's the best you can throw together! _Kagome knew it was best to keep her real remarks inside the safety of her mind. They both stood in silence; neither of them flinched or exhaled, or even blinked. Their eyes were narrowed and carried almost a curious look of wonder. The one on the right looked up and down her with his keen eyes. _They probably think I look suspicious because of my clothing. _Her semi-pleaded green short skirt, her green and white sleeves, and dark green collar were all very different details than the clothing the people wore in this time period.

"Listen. I'm not who or what you think I am." Silently the slightly shorter ninja on the right blinked. It was the first sighting of real facial movement she had seen from them. "I don't have anything to do with them." The two wordless ninjas exchanged glances and then looked back at Kagome. "I'm not part of these people called the Xumar." The two unvoiced warriors continued to stare at her silently. Just then she noticed that she had been paying attention to the wrong details of these two forest warriors. Both of them held shuriken throwing blades and ninja stars in there hands, and their grips were tightening. _I can see I'm getting nowhere really fast. _With out any thought of how the two would retaliate Kagome pivoted away from them, but then stopped and gasped sharply. There before her stood another silent ninja dressed in dark red clothing. Spinning on her quick feet she turned to her left and tried to dash between two large trees. However; she was stopped again in her tracks, a ninja dressed in pitch black silk landed right in front of her on his feet and on his left hand, in the other he held a katana sword. With out any kind of hesitancy she turned from the dark ninja but was confronted once again. A ninja clad in white cart-wheeled out from behind a pale tree trunk. His knuckles were bladed with sharp claws made of thick iron. She was trapped. "Come on now," she said in a soothing voice. None of them replied, they began to close in with slow and precise steps. She continued to force herself to smile, but she really looked terrified. "I don't mean any of you harm," she said, shaking her hips in a sexy docile-like motion. _Apparently shaking my ass won't save me this time. _From one of the implicit ninjas to her right let out a strange hum. _Oh no! _Kagome knew it was how they would unleash an attack, one soldier, usually hissed, and based on the volume of the noise; they would strike all at once. This method of attack would cut off all escape routes to their target. Attacking head-on wasn't usually their style, but when it was just a single fleeing girl, it was the perfect method for carrying out their attack. Just then another raspy sound filtered through out the swaying wind, and passed through the stoic trees. This raspy hissing noise sounded more like a sizzling ember, gradually and unwearyingly devouring its fuse. Suddenly white blinding smoke shot up from beneath the leaves under Kagome. With a squeal she was enveloped with the blinding smoke and vanished before the shielded eyes of the forest hunters. When the smoke eventually evaporated into the limitless air, Kagome was no where to be seen. The whole group stood with shock.

She was gone; all that remained of the pretty dark haired girl was her small dress shoes. Warily, they began to creep towards the spot where she had been standing. They all kept their guard up, anything was possible. They circled around her pair of shoes and studied them from where they stood. The ninja dressed in red picked up a shoe and gazed at it, then looked to a couple of his comrades who also glared at the unique footwear. They exchanged looks silently; they all carried daunted and shocked expressions in their veiled faces. The ninja dressed in white snarled with aggression and then dashed back to the shadows. The ninja dressed in pitch black and one other mystic warrior dressed in deep gray also caught on to what the white ninja had been agitated by. Seconds later; the red ninja that had been holding Kagome's shoe also growled and threw the piece of footwear at the ground. Not to far from where they had gathered Kagome panted heavily between a cluster of pastel green ferns and a hefty oak tree. She was safe for the moment.

She couldn't have timed her move better. _Thank god I had collided with that Koga guy a couple of days ago _she thought watching the ninjas reposition through the swaying green prison of plants. A few days ago Kagome and her companions met up with Koga near the copper mountains. He gave her a small glass vial and told her to use it if she were ever to be cornered with no chance at escaping. It was a mixture of forest herbs that he and his tribe collected near the caves where his race had dwelled since the ancient times. It was also composed of vegetable oil collected from a multitude of rare plants. When mixed properly it produced a fluid that turned to a thick form of gaseous matter. It wasn't poisonous, but for a few seconds it would create a thick screen of smoke that could daze un-expecting enemies temporarily. While the forest ninja were shielding their masked faces Kagome sprinted out of the circle they had formed around her. It was rumored that the ninjas of the forest had senses so acute and keen that they even surpassed some demons in sensitivity. So she had kicked off her shoes so her small feet wouldn't make noises against the forest floor. Her shoeless feet also made very weak vibrations. Then quickly but quietly she dropped to her hands and knees and hid between the fern cluster and large oak tree. However; it would take more than trickery to defeat these mystic warriors.

Thhhhhhhhhh Huhhhhhhhhhh! She inhaled and exhaled fearfully. Her stomach was as hard and firm as concrete, and the back of her neck was as damp and sticky as a rainforest on a day sweltering in the humidity of the afternoon heat. She leaned her small back up against the oak tree behind her. Closing her eyes, the terrified girl tried to detach herself from what was going on. A salty tear rolled down her cheek. _Could this get any worse? _She knew it wasn't going to be much longer before they discovered her whereabouts. From Kagome's left side a fluttering sound raced through the atmosphere. With a quick glance her eyes glimpsed several cherry colored robins rip through the air. While the brief presence was nothing short of annoying, they gave something back to the moment. Slightly Kagome turned her head and she focused her eyes on what she had glimpsed in the background. It was a gigantic pile of gray and whitish boulders. In the center of the collection of monstrous rocks, an egg shaped one protruded upwards towards the stars. "I might have a chance," she said to herself softly and quietly. Standing on top of the huge stones she would be able to see them sneaking in from all directions. The real conflict at hand though was how to get over to them. Confidently she took a deep breath and clutched her bow tightly. When she turned her head back to see what was in front of her, she once again felt the rush of fear and shock tear through out her body. It was the iron clawed white ninja again.

Kagome's lively heart and mind froze just like that of a free flowing river in the heart of winter. He was looking directly in her direction, and stood only a mere few yards away. His eyes squinted as if he were trying to decipher something peculiar looking. Kagome couldn't even blink. Raising his right hand and moving his left hand in front of him like a lance it looked like he was about to throw something. Sparkling and glinting in the sun shining through the branches of the huge trees Kagome noticed a ninja star in his raised right hand. _God! Why are you always tormenting me?!_ Then in one fluid motion he flung the bladed spinning disc straight for her location. On impulse she snapped her head over to her right shoulder and rested it on it, closing her chocolate eyes. She heard a noise that sounded like a heavy blade hitting raw meat. For a few seconds she didn't move, she hardly even exhaled and inhaled. Along with the beads of sweat that dribbled and flooded her sultry face, something warm and thick also traveled down her cheek. Frightfully; Kagome brought her shaking hand up to her sweat covered face. After running her fingertips across it she brought it in front of her eyes. It was blood! But was it hers?! Over head she heard something fall through the ferns, and it was followed by a weak thumping noise. Glancing over her right shoulder she saw half of a brown snake.

_That explains why he was looking all weird! _The snake's brownish gray coat helped it blend in with the tree bark of the tree that loomed behind her. Above where she sat the other half of the snake still flickered its tail mindlessly. Something was different about this serpent. It had red eyes with black pupils shaped like diamonds. Its fangs were a strange blue color and had red rings that looked like they had been painted with a small detail brush. _What is this thing!_ She thought looking at the serpent carefully. Then she came to the realization that they were serpents that had been infected by a demonic life-form that once plagued the forests some years ago. The rings were the handy work of some clan of insane monks that hid out in the deep forests, and used these snakes possessed by demons. They painted a ring each time a serpent brought down a trespasser, or an opposing nemesis. Some demonic snakes had been rumored to have crimson fangs from the great number of rings that colored their teeth. She directed her attention back over to the ninja clad in white. From one of the bushes another and much larger demonic serpent lashed out. It had deep green eyes and instead of a pair of fangs it had rows of sharp jagged teeth. With a swipe of his clawed knuckles he tore out the throat of the beast with a single bloody slash. Dark red droplets showered on a patch of near by ferns. A wet hiss plagued the air. _They must be everywhere!_ She saw the ninja clad in black sever the head of another green serpent with his katana. Above in the canopy she saw the ninja dressed in red fling one of his throwing knives at a serpent that had just risen up like the neck of a giraffe from under a knocked over tree. _Snakes, I generally hate you but today you rock! And God forget what you heard, because thou are not worthy, _she thought preparing to dash for her life. With a strong push from her good leg she jolted upwards from the ferns and sprinted towards the cluster of gigantic boulders. Each step rushed at her with great pain, her wounded leg still hurt even after she had done so much to take care of it. Behind her she heard a sharp hiss escape one of the thick bushes. Quickly she picked up her pace. When she got over to the rocks she almost stumbled. The rocks were hot from the radiant sun and were covered with jagged sharp edges; they were not the best things to be climbing in the world. Being injured somewhat also didn't make climbing on the searing stones any easier. **Taaannnggg! **The sharp and protrusive sound of metal ricocheting off stone filled her warm ears. She whipped her head backwards and didn't see anything. _Darn it! Those freaky serpent things didn't give them enough business. _That metallic sound had been created by another throwing knife or ninja star crashing against the huge boulder she was attempting to climb. Pain now seemed like it was just an endless cycle, each time she advanced higher up on the rock she felt more agony rush to her body. Unfortunately for Kagome she had a very low tolerance to pain, and it sapped her strength with every passing moment.

"I can do this," she grunted under her breath. She stepped off the last small boulder and was now on the largest one. This huge rock would also be her trump card in defeating the forest ninja. She hugged the huge stone with her whole body. With her left and right feet she pushed off the smaller boulder beneath her feet and got much closer to conquering her climb. Eventually she got to the top with a swing from both her legs. When she got to the top she laid her head back and closed her eyes. The top of the boulder was burning, but against her sore back it felt like heaven. There wasn't much cover from the scorching ultra violet rays that struck her delicate body. From out of her back pack she pulled out another gift, but this one was from Inuyasha. It was called a Togi. These small vitamin/minerals were a product from some kind of crystal that grows in the mountains where Inuyasha used to train when he was very young. It was shaped like a small marble and it glowed vibrantly from the light shining through its opaque structure. With a flick of her fingers she tossed it down her throat, and digested it. In theory they could boost and revitalize the muscle, skin, and blood cells of the body. It could also fill the body with these nutrients called zotimons. These morsels were very similar to electrolytes that were found in drinks back in her home world like Gatorade and Rush Gusts. However, neither of those beverages could come even close to the kind of aid a Togi could offer to the individual. Gradually, she felt herself recover; she rolled off her back and onto her hands. She looked down at the bolder and saw an ant crawling across it like a camel straying in a vast desert. She felt she was alike the ant that had a motivational heart that only knew progression and drive. A smirk came across Kagome's face; she was already feeling much better. Her leg had been damaged but her soul was as sturdy as ever. She picked up her bow and pulled an arrow from her back pack. She kept her small quiver in their merely because it was much easier to carry. In silence she placed an arrow to the thin string, and then stood up straight.

"Alright! Come out and show me what you've got," she roared through out the woods. Birds violently took flight from the thick canopy and vanished into the blue sky. "What's wrong, did you suffer too many casualties, or did you lose a little something called pride!" Nothing moved this time, dead silence. A rustling sound from the forest floor down below caught her off guard. On instinct Kagome aimed her bow towards the ground, she was now more than thirty feet from it. Her breathing was now more controlled, but fear was still present in her heart. _Maybe the tough-guy persona wasn't such a good idea. _A small squirrel leaped out from the bushes. "Oh please," she murmured rolling her eyes. **Thump! **Something landed at the edge of the base of the large boulder. Cautiously Kagome walked towards the edge of the huge rock. Nothing appeared. Then she heard what sounded like feet scampering across the tree trunks. Now full of panic in her heart she searched the area, pivoting in all directions frantically. She had forgotten that they could still attack from the canopy; it was only a few feet higher than she was. _Why can't they just attack instead of keeping me locked in suspense?_ Another noise exploded behind her, it was softer and it sounded more like feet meeting stone. They had retorted her question in the most straight forward way.

If it hadn't been for the sensitivity and impulsiveness of her natural reflexes she would have been cleaved in the most gruesome way. The ninja had a sai dagger in his left hand and slashed it through the air in one parallel fluid motion. Kagome lunged forward and the blade only cleaved one of her thin and shiny strains of hair. _That was to close _she thought watching the ninja jump down to the forest floor and disappear. _Both their speed and agility is amazing, but why are they only attacking me one by one. _She continued to scan the area carefully, watching, waiting for their next attack. Then she remembered why they attacked the way they did.

Miroku told her once when they were in the woods that the forest ninja feared losses more than anything. When battle took place in the forest they would rely on stealth but would also rely on trickery and speed. They would never all attack as a group because it would be too easy for their attacker to take out a few in their platoon. Ninja would often pilfer their opponent's attention with nasty tricks, and then attack them when they either lowered their guard or if they completely caught them off it. _All I need to do is nail them before they get to me. _However; this thought displeased Kagome greatly. Even though they were her adversaries, they were still humans. Demon slaying was in the girl's blood, as well as in the hearts of the rest of her companions. She was just happy that she had her bow because she couldn't hurt anything with her hands. Down below where she stood she heard more shuffling. This next attack was directed in a much different way.

The ninja clad in gray jumped up from behind a bush and dashed across the ground. Kagome fired but missed him by no more than an inch. Clinching her teeth she snarled with frustration. Another one jumped from the trees. Again the pretty archer fired but to no avail. The arrow landed right on the thick roots of another large oak. _Shoot. _Looking over her shoulder she saw the ninja clad in white go running across the ground. This time with more aggression and irritation she fired. Unexpectedly he dove forwards with his body extended like a spear and rolled across the ground with great speed. _Something's not right here. _She was right, she may have figured out their tactics, but they knew of her vulnerability.

Kagome didn't have many arrows, so it was just a matter of time before she ran out. Instead of risking casualties, they evaded Kagome's attacks and mocked her. Once she was out of arrows she would be a very easy target to capture. From where she stood she didn't have any quick escape roots, and they could all surround. Kagome knocked another arrow to her bow. She prayed that this next one would hit a target. From behind a tree one of her adversaries dashed again, however, he seemed to have been running from something. It was apparent that he was running from something by the way he looked and the pattern of his sprint. One of his feet got caught under a root and he tumbled forwards. Now there was an opportunity to dish out some damage, but she wasn't in the mind set. _I don't think I can play sniper _she thought with a cringe. The thought alone kind of spooked her through out her mind and soul. Providentially, a ninja on foot dashed out from the bushes sword in hand, it was the ninja clad in black. He perceptibly emerged to defend his fallen comrade. With a swing of his sharp sword he sliced one of Kagome's arrows in half. Quickly she pulled another arrow and knocked it with great haste. This time when Kagome used her bow she then held it horizontally, then launched it at an angle. This arrow was harder to hit. The dark ninja slashed at the arrow's shaft but missed by a hair. It pierced his shoulder and sent him crashing backwards. _That's two for two. _In the corner of her right eye she saw more movement in the bushes again. The ninja clad in white leaped out from the woods with a ninja star clutched in his gloved hand. With unreal elegance he threw the star at an angle as well. Spinning like a wheel of a performance vehicle it slivered the wind like a scythe through frail wheat. There was only one kind of a defense she knew that would work, and that she was capable of. With out any kind of cognitive transmission she threw her body to the ground. The white ninja was amazed at her cunningness, but he should have noticed her own scheming attack. As her body collided with the giant rock she released the arrow she had been knocking with all her strength. Flipping backwards onto his hands the arrow landed in the earth right between his levitating feet. Somersaulting through the air he landed behind a pair of tall bushes. When he landed his evasive jump he took a few seconds to reflect on what had happened.

The young girls speed and resourcefulness astounded him partly. Perhaps he and his clan had underestimated her. A few yards from where he stood with bent knees, a series of footsteps raided his diligent attention. Looking over his shoulder with his knuckle blades drawn he waited patiently for his new opponent. To his bewilderment, it was one of the warriors from his clan. Swaying and staggering like an inebriated moron the gray ninja crashed to his knees then fell over on his side. For once in his life the white ninja was both frightened and beleaguered. Both of his comrade's dark eyes had purplish blue bruises surrounding them. One of his arms had a deep shimmering and crimson gash.

"Hey there," a voice with a slight tone of arrogance sounded from behind him. The ninja did not respond, and with both of his feet spun like an axle to meet this new adversary. Instead, he was met with a kick planted directly on his face. Bellowing in pain from behind his veil he fell backwards through the air, and landed in the dirt face down. The ninja didn't make an attempt to retaliate, or even move for that matter. "At least that guy learned from his mistake," the mysterious figure said with a smirk.

Back on top of the boulder Kagome could feel relief sweep through her. The ninja she had shot crawled away, snapping off the arrow's shaft. The other ninja that had stumbled was still trying to recover from the fall rubbing his head with pain. Pounding and hammering pain raced through the right side of her body. She rolled over on her back, this was more comfortable but the sun didn't make it easy for her. _Oh just get out of my face for once _she thought shielding her face from the sun. Glancing downwards at her chest she saw a swathing shadow darken her white shirt. She gasped to herself; this shading wasn't a product of a sun blocking cloud. Uncovering her face with her sleeve she saw what was really blocking the sun, it was that ninja dressed in red. He placed a foot on each side of her body, just slightly above her hips. Dropping to one knee he clutched her cheeks tightly in the palm of his fingerless glove. His intense eyes seemed as if they could cleave her soul in half.

"Wasa! Tangago!" he snarled in his secret language. It meant "you swine." They had developed this language to prevent enemies from reading captured letters and from deciphering their conduct on the battle field. Kagome's eyes began to gleam with tears. In his left hand he held a large tanto blade, with it's sharp end pointing downwards towards her face. He razed it high over his head and began to hiss. Was this how it was going to end?

_No. Not now. I'm not done yet. This can't be happening! _She closed her eyes and in her mind she only wanted to focus on the times in life when she was blissful and joyous, it was the only thing that comforted her. She could feel his hand crushing her face with each second; she was going to suffer painfully before she died. The forest ninja wanted her to pay dearly for firing on his comrades. Then he started to tighten his grip on the hilt of his weapon, the blade was about to fall on Kagome. Abruptly, a small stone from down below nailed him right between his raging eyes. Kagome's eyes sprang open with shock at the sound of the rock smashing his skull. A small grunt of ache followed, then he fell backwards on the rock in silence. _Who?! Who did that?! _The thought was the only thing that bounced off the walls of her head as she glared at the fallen warrior with awe and wonder in her little red face.

"Come on Get up," a voice roared down below the cluster of boulders. "Move it or lose it man!" The voice continued. Kagome crawled to the edge of the boulder. The ninja that had fallen to his feet was returning to his feet gradually. There was another person down below that didn't look familiar. His back was turned to Kagome and he faced the reawakening combatant. When the focus of his eyes and brain cleared up he shrieked, then pivoted and ran like he had seen a ghost. "Pussy, Didn't even put up a fight." Judging by the tone of his voice and the way he talked, this guy seemed like trouble. Picking up her bow she knocked an arrow to it and pulled the bow string back until she felt the string almost lock. This man was speaking what sounded like English, how did he get over here from Europe. Taking a deep breathe Kagome snapped at him trying to sound tough.

"Show yourself!" she yelled in English and in a confident voice. The young man turned causally and raised an inquiring eyebrow crossing his tan arms. Now she knew for sure not only was he not from the islands of Japan, but not from this world.

His clothing looked medieval European but also had a modern flair. His long brown baggy pants that did look kind of like the trousers the Vikings once wore also greatly resembled modern cargo pants. They had deep side pockets and advanced looking zippers. His sleeveless dark vest had a look of the Middle Ages, but it's color and quality didn't. Over his shoulder a scabbard hung with a long sword with a white crystal sphere at the end of its pommel with a large cross guard was sheathed safely. His eyes were a deep cobalt blue that carried a wise aura. His hair was brown with gold highlights from the burning sun scattered about in small heaps. Kagome thought he was cute alright, but at the same time she wasn't to sure of his presence

"Ya mind pointing that thing some where else!" he said pointing a finger at her.

_This Guy is really up front _she thought applying more resistance to her bow string.

"Who are you!" she yelled again, still trying to sound tough.

"Does it matter?" he asked smugly.

"It will!"

"Are you a bitch to every guy who helps your ass out?"

_What a strange question. I'm not a bitch! Or maybe I am overreacting a bit! _She didn't know what to do or think at this troubled moment.

"What?! I mean! Why did you protect me?" she asked getting agitated.

"Good question," he responded placing a thumb on his chin.

"Quit this nonsense," she retaliated.

"Why? It's fun." Kagome growled with her teeth clinched.

"Are you a warrior, wanderer, or a spy?!" she questioned.

"You were getting warmer, but you just smacked sub zero lass," he responded in a cool and collected voice with a smirk, placing his fists on his waist

_This guy loves playing with my emotions. Man, I thought Inuyasha was bad; this guy is in a league of his own. _

"To answer your one legitimate question, you looked scarred out of your mind, and those masked punks gave me some trouble too."

_Maybe he is on our side. Maybe he's not. _Kagome was split in half. A good part of her wanted to believe everything he said, but the other half kept bombarding her mind with questions and troubled thoughts. This stranger had saved her life just now, but his motives were cloaked in secrecy. The thought of who he was troubled her greatly.

"Ya can call me Max Cavalier. Got a name?"

"Kagome," she said. It was getting harder and harder to keep the arrow in place. She had to make a choice. This man didn't seem dangerous, and she was sure that if he wanted her dead or out of commission, he would have already dealt with her. "I can't fight him," she whispered to herself.

"Hey! Speak up girl," Max assumed Kagome attempted to give him her name.

Right now it would be better if she learned more about him instead of trying to go toe to toe with him. Nevertheless; keeping her bow from firing forwards wasn't going to be easy. Her arms shook as she tried to release the bow string.

"Watch out!" she squealed.

"Of what hun?!" he asked raising an eyebrow again. As Kagome attempted to point her bow towards the earth the arrow was violently released from the bow string. Max saw it coming from a mile away and quickly dodged it. Then he looked back at her with eyes of anger.

"Damn." Kagome didn't mean to fire at him, she started to panic. "Look, it wasn't what it-" she was cut off by his remarks.

"I know what you were going for," he said coolly. Then Max cart-wheeled out of sight, and behind one of the large trees. Kagome felt the charge of fear shoot through her body, and sharpened her nerves.

"This is really bad," she spoke with clinched teeth, knocking another arrow to her bow.

"Over here sweetheart!" She looked over to her right and saw him standing before her. She released the arrow, but he shattered its shaft like a tooth pick with a swing of his handsome sword. She fired several others but he either splintered their shafts or bounced the arrow heads off the edge of his sword. His sword strokes looked flawless. Remarkable power and form flowed fluently through out his knees and shifting feet as he easily dealt with her offensive moves.

_He's so good _she thought as she watched him go hand-springing back into the shadows of the forest. It was silent again. _Where is he? _There were birds chirping spiritedly, and insects moving about, but her mind was centered on finding this Cavalier stranger.

"I expected more!" she heard his voice ring out through the woods. Straight in front of her she saw Max come dashing towards her down the path between the looming trees. Frantically she knocked several arrows to her bow and fired them with all her might. Effortlessly, he side stepped, ducked, and juked out of the incoming missiles. She took her last three arrows and all pulled them against the bow string simultaneously. It was a risky card to play, but right now she didn't have any more effective strategies at her disposal. Her eyes narrowed and her throat tightened.

"This is it," she said softly. Then she released the string. In one fluid motion he pivoted to his right side on his right foot. As he evaded her attack he swung his sword out horizontally, and smashed the arriving arrows.

"Catch!" he yelled launching some kind of brown object from his left hand. The object crashed on her chest, it left a small smudge on her chest. It was a large mushroom, but to Kagome it was like someone had thrown a fearsome snake at her. Swiping at her chest frantically and throwing down her bow she began to back peddle mindlessly.

"Yuk!" she squawked wiping another glob of its slimy spongy residue off her chest. Just then her left foot stepped in a crack on the boulder. The rough edges of the rock cut her soft feet. "Ouch!" she shrieked. Her other foot stepped on the grimy mushroom and lost it's footing on the rock. She fell backwards and plummeted down to the earth flailing her arms and legs uselessly and squealing at the top of her lungs. As she plunged downwards something firm and strong grasped around her thin body. Her heart was pounding like mattocks against shields, and her nerves had lost all their senses. However; she felt that she almost hit the ground but then, felt her body levitating gradually and then came to a stop. Painfully her aching eyelids parted and revealed the vivacious environment that surrounded her. It felt like she was coming back to life after a vicious reverie.

"Next time you might want to pay more attention to where you're going and not grungy mushrooms," a familiar voice spoke above her head. She squinted to her right and could see a face but couldn't make out his blurry features. When her vision returned to its normal state she saw and knew who it was exactly. It was that Max Cavalier stranger. He had caught her and cradled her almost perfectly. For a moment that thought puzzled and tied up her emotions and perceptions of this stranger.

_Why did he just do that?! _For a few moments her pretty eyes gazed at him incessantly, and her endearing face held a most pensive idiom. _I thought he desired my blood spilled. _If it hadn't been for him standing precisely where he was she would have either severely damaged her back, or could have suffered from brain trauma, or even been killed. For some reason he had desired to see her go unharmed from the dangerous fall.His voice had a threatening and aggressive tone when he had withdrawn his sword, now he seemed as almost calm and non-violent as a placid monk. However; her confused and agitated emotions unfortunately claimed her sense of rationality and reason.

"Put me down you blasted barbarian!" she roared trying to kick her feet and wave her fists.

"Cool," Max responded in a laid back voice. Then without further warning he dropped her flat on the ground. Kagome achingly rolled off her back and onto her hurting hands and knees throwing off her back pack. She was losing her strength rapidly, and the fire that was once blazing inside her was deteriorating. Desperately she began to crawl across the ground like a wounded animal. Max kicked aside her bag and began to stride slowly and patiently after her.

"I'm so, so exhausted, and my injury hurts! Oh it feels like the whole world is transmitting its agony upon me!" she whispered to herself under her breath as she stood back up on her knees. It was too painful to try and stand up. After taking so many injuries in one day Kagome never felt so spent and beaten up. Just then twinkling in the light she saw what looked like one of those small bladed ninja disks. About the size of a couple of quarters, but the disc was quite capable if used in a deadly way. Suddenly she heard a foot step fall right behind her. Terrified, she looked over her left shoulder and gazed at her unbeaten opponent. Discrepancy and fear clung to her heart, and made it impossible to even think to try and reach for that small bladed star. Instincts also had control over her, if she were to make an irrational or hostile move now he would probably kill her right where she knelt on both her knees. Frightfully, she bit her lower lip as a few tears streamed down her face. Right hand trembled and shook aimlessly in the air, while the other hand clutched a heap of grass tightly with disquiet. What added even more to the tense and uneasy situation is when she saw a small leer come upon his quiet face. While he appeared to be human like her, in that second he seemed to have taken on the form of a demon. Gently he knelt down right behind her, and ran a caressing rough hand up her smooth leg. She gulped in a terrified way and snapped her head away from him closing her eyes and wishing that she was some where else. Suddenly Max noticed that there was this soft ribbon-like adhesive bandage wrapped around part of her leg.

_This doesn't look good! _He thought. With his right hand he rubbed her back smoothly, almost like the same way one would stroke the back of a lover. She whimpered under her breath softly and continued to tremble with dread. Eventually, his creeping hand got over to her thin right shoulder and clutched it tenderly.

"Hey. That's enough," he said in a very stern tone. Drawing breathe heavily she turned around and looked at him with her shaken and shining eyes. "I'd never harm anyone who posed no threat to me." For some reason, her breathe started to become more controlled and less panicky. His gentle hand traveled his way up to her face, and rested his hand on her wet cheek. Now it seemed to her that from the start he hadn't been planning to take advantage of her, or reap her body in anyway. Desperately she settled one of her tiny hands on his forearm. She gazed into his eyes deeply, she felt herself party give way to a docile trance. He also gaped deep into her beautiful and naive eyes, he also felt himself slide into a pleasant reverie. It seemed that their moment would go on forever, but then something tore it in half

**WHOA! **

**I hate to say this but the cliff hanger is inevitable in my enormous stories. The next chapter will be up some time this month! **

**In the mean time it would delight me if you would review this installment of the story. Any criticism or things you liked about it would be most helpful. Also take a few stabs at what tore the **_**moment**_apart!


	3. Colossal Clashes

Colossal Clashes 

_Last chapter was intense but this one is even more action driven! Kagome there went down hard, but let's see how the rest of the troop holds their own as Maximilian moves through the country side. _

In that moment she didn't feel threatened or even intimated by his unsolved presence. It seemed that they were both locked in an endless, passive, intimate reverie. Nevertheless; all great moments had a beginning and an end as well. The gentle hand that clutched her soft cheek suddenly withdrew and grabbed her right wrist. His powerful hands gripped her tender limb and brought it behind her back viciously. Tendons and muscles ached and tightened with fear, as well as her heart began to race again in with terror.

_What's happening? Was he only situating himself so he could take me again by force? _She could feel something soft wrapping around both her wrists, and contracting them together. _I'm so stupid! _Maybe she had been taken by his sudden alteration in behavior and vocal tone, but self imposed insults weren't going to influence the situation.

"Why are you doing this?!" she said weakly and eyeing him angrily.

"Well like I said I can't harm those who don't present a threat, but it never hurts to be prepared now does it sweetheart," he said with a sinister smile. She felt a not tighten her limbs together, and pain started to emerge again even though it wasn't very grave. "However; may I ask you a question?" Kagome didn't feel like answering him, but she didn't have a whole lot of alternatives in front of her.

"Sure," she said in a sad tone.

"Do you have a thing for apples?" She looked over her shoulder and raised a very confounding eyebrow.

"What?" she said in a semi shocked tone. "I guess so-" her words were cut short as a small red apple was shoved into her small mouth.

"Good thing," Max replied with a smile. Irritably, Kagome growled and bit down on the apple. Her teeth her dug pace the piece of crimson fruits skin and into its core. Max's face shifted from a delighted and smug one to a surprised and curious one. The rest of the apple fell from Kagome's wet lips; she continued to snarl as the fruits nectar drizzled down her face. With out further warning she spat directing in Maximilian's face, and a chunk of the apple bounced off his forehead. Reluctantly he wiped the piece of slimy fruit off his forehead and growled too.

"Smooth," he remarked in a monotone voice. Quickly, he brought his other hand up from the ground and shoved a short but wide pinecone in her mouth. Kagome moaned and shook her head futilely. "I don't think this one will agree so nicely with your taste buds," he said, then wrapped a piece of cloth around it and tied it behind her head. The pinecone wasn't as sweet and palatable as the apple. "I also see you're not the fastest learner in the world, one day and already made two lethal mistakes," he said with his usual malevolent smirk holding two fingers in front of her head. _Just be glad I don't take you out, because it would be a natural sin to damage her goods. _

He hefted her over his shoulder and then dashed off like a thief in the night. Kagome had no idea what he had planned for her, but what ever it was it was probably very appalling. This stranger was almost as strong as he was fast as it seemed, because he was moving with great velocity, and showed little if not no signs of hitch in his strong strides.

Elsewhere in the area outside of the forest, tranquility and calmness prevailed. Sango sat on a tree stump at the edge of the long dirt road where Kagome and Inuyasha were suppose to meet with her and Miroku. The pliable wind blew across her impassive face. A long green skirt hugged her waist, and its edges danced and swayed elegantly in the docile breeze. She wore a pink and white shirt that proudly bared her family crest of a muscular silhouette of a man slaying a demonic serpent. Glancing over to her left she saw Miroku holding his tall shakujō staff, its golden ringed ornament mounted at the top sparkled brilliantly in the sun light of the afternoon. The small rings on his staff rubbed up against each other and they created beautiful high metallic tones that rang through out the vicinity of where they waited. Each time a note grew and then washed away out of subsistence, Sango felt her mind drift away in the solace of their unique sounds. It was times like these when Miroku also noticed these beautiful and relaxing sounds of the ring charms. Often as he walked down his many paths to enlightening possible followers, he really didn't discern these consoling and soothing resonances his staff charms created. A warm smile came upon Sango's face when her pet Kirara pranced over to the monk.

Carefully he adjusted the collar of his long heavy navy blue rob. It was a natural custom for the monk to always make sure that his appearance was suitable no matter what the occasion was. Sango always wondered if it was because he was a holy figure, or because he wanted to excite the ladies. The small blondish colored feline demon rubbed up against his ankle.

_I can see that someone approves of his taste in clothing _she thought.Miroku kneeled down and picked up the adorable demon cat and stroked it along its tiny cranium and behind its ears. The animal's fur was soft like clothing made of cotton and it made his sore hands feel like they had been soaked in refreshing oils and herbs. With contentment and delight the small carnivore purred quietly. Moments like these made it seem like it was totally worth fighting Naraku. It didn't bother Sango or Miroku even the slightest, as long as they were together and their friends were by their sides neither of them desired anything more from the universe. All of a sudden the small feline poked its head up, and its small black ears rose with alert. Sango also picked up on the pattering sound of horse hooves pounding against sand. She glanced over at the other end of the trail. A man on a small horse came galloping down the path and emerged from the blurry horizon. Miroku placed the small feline on the ground and walked over to where Sango was sitting.

_My word he's moving fast. I wonder what he is retreating from with such insistent alacrity _Miroku thought deeply. _I didn't sense the dim incidence of any demons in the region, but I don't know what, but something has been nagging at me today._ Something was striking his senses ever since he had awoken from deep sleep in the morning. Once the rider was upon them he yanked on his reins with his strong forearms and the horse came to an immediate halt. He was a short but burly man and wore a great beard; he was wearing a green and gold Kimono with white shoes. Judging by his build and physical structure he looked to be part Ainu. On his right sleeve he had the most peculiar and circular symbol with roses curling around it with dragons flying in and out of the center of the circle. Sango gazed at him with a vacant expression, while Miroku bowed his head to this stranger with respect. The stranger tilted his head downwards and returned the greeting gesture.

"What brings you here?" Miroku asked.

"I wish I could say that I was on my way home, but something quite appalling has happened." Sango and Miroku traded glances with dread and amazement. "I was actually traveling back to my house but then I stumbled upon a battered caravan of silk and silver merchants and tradesmen. Their wagons were smashed and many of them were injured. Apparently they were attacked by a clan of ronins and by these strange horse archers they call Mangols.

"Mongols?" Miroku spoke coldly. He had heard rumors about their whereabouts, but was always on the unsure side on the anecdotes. "Do you require any assistance with this matter?"

"If you would offer any support it would be most appreciated. I'm on the move now to see if a friend of mine who lives in these hills with his wife will come to our aid. He had the luxury of growing up with an herbalist and a man who had studied medicine."

"Where is the location of this disaster?" Miroku asked. The brawny man pointed straight behind him.

"It's not very far, less than a few miles. I'm curious, what is it that you will do to help us?" Miroku looked over at Sango and she shot him a smirk of confidence. Glancing over at her feline friend Kirara she snapped her fingers. The feline began to flicker its tails widely like a fire blazing beneath a dark caldron. Then in the crack of a mere second she was surrounded by flames. The mysterious horse men had been completely caught off guard by the unique creature's form of transformation. After a few seconds passed the rising flames dyed down and Kirara now in full form lunged out of the flames. The giant feline beast had canines that could easily match those of a saber tooth tiger and deep ruby eyes that could pierce the heart and soul of any adversary. The stranger silently starred on with a wondrous slack-jaw expression.

"Pretty entertaining," Sango said with a smile.

"By the souls of the Oni!" He hesitated for a little while after he spoke in an astonished voice. The man must have never laid eyes on one of Kirara's species "Well thank you for all your help," he said with a bit more confidence. Then with a tug on his reins he took off down the path. Both Miroku and Sango mounted the back of the gigantic demon cat. With a tough growl the enormous cat leaped onto the sandy path and darted towards their latest destination.

Weakly, Kagome's sore eyelids parted and revealed to her the world of the dark green forest. The forest floor was bobbed up in down in front of her, except it was she who was bouncing in a hostile way. She had dozed off, and Max was still carrying her. Instinctively she clinched her teeth but was met with sharp pain as the peddles of the pinecone dug into the roof of her mouth and the inside of her cheeks.

_This! Is getting to be real annoying now! _She thought squirming around on Max's shoulder. His jog slowly decelerated to a steady walk, and then he stopped in his tracks. **Shomp! **With the swing of both his arms he placed her on both her feet in front of him.

"Well if you're as tough as you sound, then this should be child's playin!" he said. Kagome's eyes widened with shock and made some muffled noises of protest. Then he lightly tapped her on the cheek and spun away from her and dashed like an Athenian messenger. Kagome shook her head and struggled against her restrictive bonds. She tried to squeal with rage under her gag but it only exhausted her. **Squish! Scack! Sccckcuc! **Blinded by anger and anxiety she didn't even realize what she had been placed down in. Her feet were submerged in some kind of very dark greenish matter. It was thick, cold, and had a consistency very similar to mud or clay, but it was neither of those. The strange matter surrounded Kagome in a dark sea of green slime.

_How did he just drop me and retreat like that. _Looking more closely at the location, it was now obvious how he maneuvered into this strange muck. The slimy substance wasn't in the shape of a circle, but more like an oval. Cavalier must have stepped right up to the edge of the mucky matter and placed her right in the center of it. There was also a small path of stones, but they only went so far. She also remembered that he had some kind of strange footwear. They had treads like boots, but almost resembled sneakers or some other kind of modern shoes. Also he was stronger than she was, and possibly knew a trick to running through it. Kagome moaned under gag with vain and shook with frustration. Suddenly, she felt one of her feet loosen up in the ooze-like substance. _Perfect, now if I could just- _At that moment all of Kagome's thoughts subsided as she lost balance on her other foot. Like a crashing tower her body hit the slime like an avalanche descending upon a tranquil forest. Now the situation was really bad! The slime had entrenched her feet all the way up to her chin. Twitching in the muck she understood it was best to let her racing heart rest for a little while. She rolled her eyes with angst. _Splendid. I can add this one to my ever growing anthology of brilliant stunts. _With another groan light began to vanish from sight and sleep took the girl once again.

While Kagome dozed off she dreamt of being back at home and at Hiroshima castle with Inuyasha. That was one of the most exciting missions they had ever under gone. Working for the government never seemed very attractive because their troop was always on the move in country, and had very little to do with politics and their regulations. However; that mission had been very invigorating. The palace was beautiful. It seemed quite dreamlike and enchanting in its majestic existence. Comfort and bliss were the only emotions their group experienced when either sleeping in one of their bed rooms with European pillows and beds, or their notable dining halls.

The blazing sun scorched all the living things below the blue and white canopy that soared above everything. Sango and Miroku were now very close to the location of the accident. In the vast distance down the long trail they could see several large wagons scattered all over the ground along with boxes and crates strewn everywhere. Many bewildered looking people stood over bodies and looked as if they were trying to revive them. When Kirara leaped into the air and landed in front of them, they all fell back in dead silence. Many had never seen one of Kirara's species and didn't know what to make of the vast feline beast. The creature looked down at one of the injured with giant crimson sad eyes. However; the man on the ground clutched his dagger and curled into a ball to try and protect himself from this unknown beast. Kirara sniffed the person, he snarled at the foreign animal through clinched teeth. On one of the merchant's knees there was a crimson gash. Gently the cat beast grabbed the wounded person in its jaws.

"I'm not going to die with out a fight," he a growled angrily. In his right hand he raised his sharp dagger to the face of the demon cat, but he felt a soft and slender set of fingers grip his wrist. Gazing past the giant head of the feline he saw Sango leaning over its neck.

"Please don't fight. Our intentions are noble," she said in a soothing voice.

"We want to help you, not hurt you," Miroku added stepping down from Kirara's back. The huge feline hefted the injured man and placed him on one of the carts. Its wheels had been broken off but the rest of the product transporter was still in great shape. From this position it would be easier for the medics to tend to his injured limb. Sango also descended from Kirara's back and walked over to a small cluster of people that stood around an inert body.

Grim faces and heartrending expressions subjugated the faces of the people. Young and old, veterans and new comers to the trade they were all very different in their appearances and postures. A lot of them were dressed similar to Inuyasha wearing long wide sleeve shirts and pants. Other Merchants were dressed very much alike the Portuguese European people that had just recently docked at the ports in Edo. Lightly she placed her hands on the back of one of the spectators. He turned and glowered at her with a malicious expression, his rough eyes narrowed to slits as he studied her sweet and attractive features carefully. Sango generally didn't have a whole lot of patience, especially when it came to dealing with those who weren't very gracious and forthcoming. She looked past him and completely studied the injured boy they had gathered around. He didn't look much younger than her. His dark hair was a mess, and it was spread out like the tendrils of a squid across the sullied ground. He coughed and clutched a heap of dirt in his scarred fist. From where she stood she couldn't see any real injuries or gashes. Reluctantly the young demon slayer returned her glance to the large and pessimistic looking merchant.

"May I ask what's wrong with him?" The grumpy looking one looked at her then gradually returned his attention back to the hurt young merchant.

"None of us have been able to figure what has happened to him," he said in a cantankerous tone, Sango was starting to wonder if this guy was just a natural misanthrope. "At first we thought the kid just took one hell of a fall from his horse and ate the dirt. However; it turns out he's just fine, or should I say his bones are. Each time we attempt to move him he snarls and pounds the earth with rage. He's also been coughing and coughing as if the young tike had caught a cold. He hasn't spoken to us for a while now." The young injured merchant coughed up a gobbet of blood. Sango cringed unhappily at the sight.

Not far from the circle of merchants and tradesmen, Miroku helped one of the surviving merchant lift a wagon wheel off an injured craftsman. The craftsman was old and it was a true miracle that he was still alive. Miroku and the merchant crouched down and slid their hands under the enormous wheel. Then with a vulgar grunt they lifted the wheel and flipped it next to one of the broken down wagons. His face not only looked elderly, it also held masses of skin that had been damaged by the sun and scars that had been won in fights or from work. Nevertheless; aside from all the damages from aging and battle, he still managed to hold a tough and crinkly smile that could have lit up all of Edo. Carefully the young man who had helped Miroku lift the wheel off of the old man slid an accommodating limb under him gently.

"Ah, I don't need you to walk for me too!" the elderly man snapped. **Thunk! **He looked away from the person who was trying to aid him and starred at Miroku's huge staff implanted in the dirt. The young monk smirked at him silently. "Aye. Now a walking stick, that's using your head pretty boy," he said taking hold of Miroku's staff and shifting his weight to its midsection.

Watching the injured boy in silence grew ever more painful for Sango. Gutturally, he coughed again and this time struck the earth with his fist. It seemed almost as if the youth was trapped in another universe of agony, where there was no communications to outsiders. Trepidation and ambiguity was what stayed the many hands of his companions that would have rushed to his aid. Dirt and other particles of the earth gathered under his fingernails as he clawed at the ground growling.

_I have to do something._ Sango knew it would have been a great dishonor not to help this damaged individual, but to herself. Shutting her eyes, she took in a deep breath, and felt a rush of buoyancy greet her. Demons and other creatures of this world were all so very dangerous, but sometimes the most dangerous life forms were those that the eyes or other senses could not detect. Gradually she moved passed the large petulant merchant and moved toward the youth. She could feel a thousand chills come crawling down and up her back uncannily. The crowd stood stationary and unvoiced like skulking ghosts as she moved into the center of the circle. With another roar of searing pain the youth bit his lip and almost whimpered in pain. Sango stood over him and gazed down at him with great empathy. Smoothly she dropped to her knees and ran her delicate soft finger tips over his forehead tenderly. Through gritted teeth he snarled like a crude canine. She placed a couple of her fingers to his wrist and checked for his pulse.

_Oh my god! _The reading of his pulse scared the living daylights out of her. _It feels as if he is about to burst into flames or explode. _What had ever damaged or infected this youth's body was starting to overpower his body's efforts to stay alive. _What is it! What is it Dammitt! _She thought with frustration and anger overpowering her sense of reason. Out of pity and despondency she steadied her other hand and curled his long threads of dark dirty hair around her fingers. Suddenly she felt his pulse drop. _What?! Am I really feeling this! _The thought was a bit apprehensive but at the same time it was also heartening. His heart slowly began to return to the steady pace of its resting state. He began to draw breathe as if he were lying lackadaisically on his bed.

"He'll be just fine," a voice sounded from above her. She looked up from the resting young merchant and saw Miroku. "Give him this," he said coolly handing Sango several large leaflets. Quietly she gazed at the plants and wondered what they were. She assumed they were medicinal herbs. With a confirming nod to Miroku she fed the recovering boy. The aroma alone seemed to have pulled him from the great state of pain that had encompassed so much of his attention. Kindly, Miroku patted the boy on the arm as he knelt next to him.

"He was probably just having some kind of a trauma attack," Miroku stated watching the young merchant roll over onto his fists and knees.

"A what kind of attack?" Sango asked.

"Trauma, it's a state where the mind and body and some followers of my faith believe even the soul goes into a state of extreme shock and hostility. However; they all pass like the people of this earth with time."

"I see." Both of them and the rest of the flabbergasted crowd watched on as he eventually crawled to his feet and stood up straight, but he shuffled like an elderly man. While Miroku may have been able to classify what had been the focal source of his agony and enmity, nevertheless; it didn't elucidate why he was spitting and coughing up all that blood.

Kagome's eyes snapped open. Not only did she hear, but she could feel the very slight vibrations of footsteps through the muck that clung to her petite body. Someone was coming!

_Oh! This couldn't have come at a better time! _She thought humorously trying to cover up the horrible idea and panic-stricken thought. Once again she tried to squirm and squeal but it was again to no avail, and her strength withered away miraculously. **Fomp! Fomp! Fomp! **Whoever it was they were strolling at a very steady and consistent pace. The noises sounded like they were coming from behind where she laid in the slimy matter. Her heart began to pick up pace at an alarming rate, this added to her dreariness and fear. _Please! Go away! Just go away! Go away! Please!_She bounced and slammed those words around the walls of her frightened mind. However; the voice of the individual was one she recognized quite well.

"Hey! What the hell happened to you?!" Inuyasha roared from behind her. Respite flowed through out her like water down a lively cascading river, despite his aggressive and threatening tone of voice. He landed in front of her on one of the large boulders in the thicket of slime. Studying her closely with his great amber eyes he not only noticed she had been bond and gagged tightly, but also her clothing looked partly ripped around the skirt area and the collar of her shirt. Leaning forwards he pulled off the piece of cloth around her mouth. With a vulgar growl she spat out the pinecone and rested her head back down in the adhesive and slimy substance.

"What happened," Inuyasha demanded sounding a bit agitated.

"I'm not sure where to begin," she said in a weak voice.

"Wait a second," he said, and then gently he placed his powerful hands on her brittle thin shoulders and pulled her out of the muck and cradled her in his arms. Gazing down at her with the oozy substance dripping and tumbling off her body in chunks, he suddenly felt both infested with rage as well as poignant for her. "Go on," he continued this time in a much more soothing voice.

"First I was just moving through the forest, and then I noticed that somebody was following me." Inuyasha's eyes tapered to slits. "It took me a few minutes to realize that it wasn't just one but many of them, and they all chased me and terrorized me." His strong hands gripped her tighter and tighter. She clinched her teeth and hissed in pain, Inuyasha realized he had to be more in control of his emotions and loosened his grip around her. "I was able to fool them, and almost held them all off. However; if it wasn't for this one guy I would have died." His ears perked up at her statement. "On accident I almost shot him, so what you see here is the after math of my attempted murder," she said with a crooked smile. While she had a sense of humor about the giant misunderstanding, a spiteful and fierce growl escaped through Inuyasha's teeth.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard," he snarled. A startled and concerned expression rippled across Kagome's dirty face. In her mind she knew that Max never had any real intent to kill her, even after she shot so many arrows at him.

"Listen, he didn't mean to do what you see here. He was only defending himself."

"Is that what you call it?" his voice had a very aggressive and threatening sound to it.

"He could have easily killed me, but he didn't," she defended.

"What's his name?!!" he roared.

"I can't tell you," she retorted trying to look away from him.

"Why not?!" his grip started to tighten again.

"If I tell you, you'll hunt him down and mess'em up wont you?"

"Maybe," he answered coolly. There was something about his voice though that shot chills down her spine. It was almost like he was going back to his pure demon state.

"Well then. You leave me no choice," she said, her voice grew more audible. "Sit Bmmmm-" Inuyasha shoved the pinecone back in her mouth, and some of that adhesive ooze over her lips.

"I hate to say this Kagome, but you leave me no choice either," He said placing her back down in the sticky and thick substance. He wasn't going to be pulled under that stuff, and he had to catch that run away punk. Kagome fidgeted and groaned uselessly. "Don't worry; I'll be back in a little while," he spoke leaping up to the canopy. Then he looked over his left shoulder at her, and then faced back to where he was about to begin his new quest. "When I return you'll thank me." Then with out any further words he jumped down from the trees and sprinted through the forest. Kagome, now lying on her back looked up at the canopy that stood high above her and she moaned feebly. _This day is really going down in the books! _She thought rolling her eyes painfully.

Inuyasha didn't really care if he got this punks name or not, he didn't need it. The young hanyo knew this mysterious adventurer's sent. _That sent of his was quite fresh, so he can't be too far. Being that he is human he couldn't have gotten that far unless if he's got a quick steed or something. _With instinct combined with divine determination rendered Inuyasha a deadly contender. Inuyashsa also started to have thoughts about this mystic buccaneer. _Maybe I have at finally come across an opponent that is actually worth going a few rounds with _he thought as he ducked under swaying tree branches and jumping over logs.

Not far from the forest a couple of monks walked across a great sand dune. They were both Shinto monks, but were of a special and secret subdivision of the religion. The older monk wore a navy blue cloak and the younger apprentice wore a burgundy cloak, they were both trimmed with gold and protected their faces with wide straw hats. Each of them carried a large wooden staff with their orders icon mounted at the top end of it. A golden lightning bolt slicing through a circle held up by a small cylinder that resembled a peace pagoda. One of them was in his mind forties and the other in his early thirties. Both were strict followers to their faith and division. The monk cloaked in navy blue descended to one knee and gripped a hand full of sand. Gradually he let his fingers part and allowed the sand to cascade and flow with the soothing wind. Looking around the desert-like landscape he noticed the many stumps and slabs of burnt stone that dotted the area. Then with a regretful face he threw what was left of the sand on the ground.

"This was once a structure wasn't it?" the younger monk standing a few feet behind him inquired

"Aye," he answered with a smirk of regret. The monk gazed into his surroundings. _What could have done this much damage._

"If you say it was a structure, what was it used for?" the younger monk asked

"It was a stronghold," the older monk answered coolly.

"Really. Was it for Samurai of a high order, or did those mad priests that would disguise themselves as tengu and attack villages accompany it?"

"Neither. It was for a clan of noble warriors known as the Xumar," he said cynically flicking a diminutive peddle across the motionless sand.

"I have heard of them, but their mission and who they are remain a mystery," the younger monk replied showing more interest than he had shown prior to their arrival.

"It wouldn't be accurate for me to state that I know a great deal about them, but what I do know about them is their dedication to the sword and to the people of these lands is very powerful," the older monk spoke articulately. "Fascinatingly, they do not serve under a lord or lady, and they are made up of warriors that wish only to preserve peace in the lands so they may shape the sword as a divine instrument or utensil."

"Aye. What do you insinuate when you describe the sword as utensil or instrument?"

"The sword is like an eternal companion to these people, just like a paint brush is to a painter. To them it is a form of artistic self expression, and a way of life. It happened to be very coincidental that this art form of theirs could be used to help determine the outcome of a series of battles, and even wars. Some assume that the Xumar wish to keep serenity in the world so they can master their craft."

"Remarkable," the younger monk responded. While he drifted in deep thought about this mysterious clan of warriors, his companion also encircled his mind in deep thought too. Except unlike his younger comrade his mind was centered exclusively on what had destroyed the strong hold. Intensely he began to stare at a small shard of the leveled structure, and then glanced around at the whole area of the destroyed foundation of the building.

_Sand! What could have reduced that rugged structure into a pile of unadorned sand?! _The thought alone bothered him more than the fact that whatever had destroyed the building was somewhere still in existence. The structure was like something he had never seen before. It had been carved from a huge piece of sandstone stone. Looming around the structure they reinforced it with huge fortification walls, they were also completely leveled. The monk had seen the fortress less than a month ago, but now only sand with a few chunks of the buildings sidings remained. Then another notion crossed his demanding mind, this one was even more disconcerting than the idea about how the strong hold crumbled, but who it was that caused it. _My spirit and my senses are starting to inform that it could have been. Naraku! _He growled under his breathe at that name. Scanning with his mesmerized dark eyes, he noticed there was suddenly something different about the atmosphere. At the center of the large sand dune a man sat on a building chunk. Looking at him carefully the monk noticed that he was not from around the area. The strangers clothing was much different from anything he had ever seen. He wore a dark vest with a pair of very bizarre looking pants with side pockets and metal zippers that closed small pouches beneath them. _Who is that young man?_ Gradually, the monk started to approach the outsider with staff in hand.

Max studied the strong and the tip of his sword. _There doesn't appear to be any scratches. Huh! Blasted broad still knew a thing or two when it came to archery though. _Glancing over his left shoulder he saw the monk cloaked in navy blue approach him. Both his eyes and his posture gave off a powerful and wise aura. _Well, what do I have comin my way? _

"Who are thee?" he asked in a voice strengthened with self-assurance.

"Say what?" Maximilian responded.

"What business do you have in these parts?"

"I was gonna shoot you the same damn line dude," he said in a voice that was traced with a slight ring of impudence and haughtiness.

_How dare he speak to me in such a tone! _The monk looked at him closer. Aside from his cockiness his strange clothing and sword lead the monk to numerous conclusions about who this individual was. Early, in the day he had heard a rumor that there were aliens from other countries that had poured into the mainland Honshu and some of the minor islands in the south. It was very possible that this stranger could have been one of the responsible for destroying this structure.

"Do you know of the Xumar?" the monk asked in a cool voice. Right after he finished his question Max swayed his attention away from his blade and over to the monk. Max narrowed his eyes at him; apparently Max found what he asked to be quite intriguing.

"How do you know of that name?" he inquired in a very stern tone. The feeling in the air suddenly changed. Wind currents that surrounded them started to increase in speed, and so did their pulse rates.

"That does not matter."

"I see, does it really," Max started to grip the hilt of his sword with more pressure.

"Judging by your clothing, appearance, and way of speaking, you must not be from these parts," the monk spoke, now his voice was deepening with dark sincerity.

"Man, are all you shaman bastards as annoying as you, or are you just distinctive in your art," Maximilan said shooting a sinister grin. Now the shaman was completely confident in his perception of this alien. Naraku was a stealthy and tricky foe to his clan, and he knew of many tricks and ways to bringing down his enemies. It was mandatory for Naraku to send a scout or an assassin to make sure that the job was done right to avoid detection by the shogun. Survivors were rare and the ones that generally did survive his attacks were tough and edgy people that were often passed off for being lunatics or tellers of tall tales. His senses were telling him that he was not only from this country, but he must have been an assassin or mercenary hired by Naraku. The entire scenario made perfect sense to him. Arriving as an illegal alien he would not have been able to get work from the shogunate, and he would have also been exiled from many towns. He hefted his staff upwards and pointed it towards Max. Cavalier understood the gesture, it was time to draw and clash blades. "I hope you're as quick and fierce with that thing as you are at making senseless accusations," Max said grinning portentously.

With all his speed he dashed towards Max and with both arms he brought his huge staff down with all his might. However; Max had already seen his attack from a mile away. With a single upward slash he sliced off the end of the monks staff, and then brought his blade down directly on the center point of the staff. It shattered into a million splinters before the monk's bewildered and dazed eyes. From the force and shock of Max's defensive attack he crashed backwards flat on the ground. Looking up from the ground he saw his opponents glinting blade pointing directly at his face. Subsequently, with speed that surpassed even the most talented and gifted samurai he unleashed a horizontal slash of his sword and eluded his partners attack. The monk staggered backwards, and awkwardly regained his balance. Repositioning his feet the young monk prepared himself for his follow up attack. Sprinting forward ripping up the sand in small clouds from the ground he lunged his staff towards his opponent. On his right foot Max began to apply pressure gradually. Once his foe was about to impact him he pivoted out of the way like a graceful ball room dancer. Startled, the burgundy shaman turned to face his opponent yet again. Before he could raise his staff to either guard or strike, Maximilian landed a match determining blow. Pushing off on his left foot and partly on his right foot he leaped off the sand and landed his knee directly into his opponent's sternum. **Crunch!** With a grinding crunching noise he flipped backwards and landed on his face in the sand.

"Oh come on you guys done already?" Cavalier snapped.

"They might be done, but I'm more than happy to take you on!" an unknown voice roared. Max sheathed his great blade and glanced in the direction of the voice. Inuyasha stood about ten meters from him with his shoulders back and chin up high. The hanyo's stone face held a very dark gaze that was traced with hatred. This young mans trace was the same one that was all over Kagome and that piece of cloth that gagged her.

"So who in this damned world desires my attention now?" Max asked grinning as usual.

"Your worse nightmare," Inuyasha retorted with a thirst for reprisal in his voice.

"No kiddin, I always pictured you a bit more threatening and not so plain Jane," Max taunted him. The other two Shinto followers started to shuffle to their feet and dashed across the sand and back to the safety of the forest. A grin came across Inuyasha's face as well.

"Tough talk coming from a man who just dug his own grave," Inuyasha remarked coolly drawing his sword. With the flick of small spark of dazzling yellow light, the blade morphed into its gigantic state. Raising an inquiring eyebrow Max studied this unusual blade that resembled a huge fang.

"Now that's something you don't see every day," Maximilian stated. In the caressing wind the white fur that hung from its powerful hilt swung and swayed like a branch in the cool breeze of spring. With his right hand he attempted to reach for his sword, but then hesitated and brought his hand back down by his waist. "No. I don't think I'll even need that," he said calmly with an ominous grin. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed with frustration and rage. Resting back on his right foot and raising his closed fists he formed a strong and relaxed upright stance. Inuyasha took a few steps forward and then with both his hands raised his sword to about chest level.

"That'll be the last big mistake you'll ever make!" Inuyasha was about ready to make his first offensive movement. Before he could take another step he was caught off guard by Cavalier's piece of wisdom and wise ass remark.

"I'm clean, although you just made one of the shoddier of the down right terrible mistakes." Inuyasha eyed him carefully. "Never celebrate too early," Max finished. Quickly Inuyasha pushed off the sand with his bare and rugged feet and dashed towards his opponent. Max stood still and awaited for his opponent patiently. With all his might he leaped off the sand and heaved his great Tessaiga above his head. When he brought his blade down the only thing he parted in half was sand. It kicked up from the surface and formed a dusty cloud around him. Max had seen his attack from a great mile away.

"Did you really expect me to wait for your sad excuse for an attack," a voice rang out from his left side. He whipped his head in that direction and was smashed with an elbow in the nose. The hanyo fell to his side and tumbled in the sand. _Lucky shot! _He got up rubbing his damaged nose and came at Maximilain again. This time around his slashes and swings were a bit more controlled with more speed. However; Max had an answer and an evasive movement for all of them.

Leaning on his right foot Inuyasha lashed out horizontally. Grinning Max back peddled and swung his shoulders around like a Latin dancer and evaded it. The hanyo continued to slash and swing his great Tessaiga with greater haste. Cavalier's body was like water in a jar, incessantly changing his posture and stance and continued to avoid Inuyasha's huge blade. Changing the rhythm to his assault with both hands he unexpectedly swung his sword downwards vertically. Like an Olympic gymnast Max dove to the ground and somersaulted across the sand.

_Damn! This guy really knows his stuff! _Inuyasha could only recall a few opponents that were of this warrior's caliber. Repositioning his blade he held it high with both is hands. When Max hand sprung off the ground and back to his feet he gestured with his right hand for Inuyasha to attack again. _His wish is my command! _Inuyasha this time approached his attacker carefully and kept his blade high like he was going to slash vertically. **Swoosh! **He brought the blade down to his waist at the last minute and swung for Max's feet. Moving with the flow of his sword his feet left the ground and landed he repositioned himself on one of his hands, then cart-wheeled away from Inuyasha. Growing more impatient Inuyasha leaped forwards and sliced through the wind in a roundhouse motion spinning on one foot. Again, Maximilian flowed with his attack and dropped to his hands and a knee evading his attack and catching him with a foot sweep. Knocking his pivoting left foot out from under him caused Inuyasha to hit the sand hard. Grunting furiously in pain Inuyasha climbed to a knee and rubbed his head in agony.

"Well as I can see you really don't approach altercation as an art form. Instead you just unleash everything at once regardless of your opponent's skill and style," Maximilian declared. "Man you're a real piece of work." Not responding to his comments Inuyasha rose to his feet and stood tall again with conceit written all over his rock solid face. "Nevertheless; I still have to give ya some cred for your persistence and resistant nature to pain and frustration."

"So what you're saying is that I'm just a bull in a china shop huh?" Inuyasha retorted.

"Somethin like that," Max said with a smirk. Inuyasha clinched his teeth with intense frustration coming over him. Comments often rolled off his shoulders like waves crashing and rolling off boulders, but being mocked and beaten at his own game was the lowest of the low for him.

"Bull shit!" Inuyasha roared and charged towards him. Gripping his Tessaiga tightly in his right hand he jostled his sword forward. Jumping up on one foot Max leaped into the air and landed on the broadside of his sword. With his right foot he landed a devastating roundhouse kick that impacted Inuyasha's jaw. Tumbling sideways he crashed in the sand blowing it up into the air in the form of a sprinkling cloud.

"That weapon of yours isn't winning any contests either. Due to its cumbersome shape and length it can only be swung horizontally or vertically, thus making it ever so predictable. Also your method of attack looks like it was self taught, not a bad thing but it's been revealing to me more info than a library," Max said dusting himself off. Inuyasha picked his face out of the sand and coughed violently. For once in his life he actually felt in over his head, and the feeling of drowning was starting to overcome him. The young hanyo had never been out of his league when he challenged someone, especially a mere human. All those years of underestimation and arrogance were starting to come back and bite him so very hard. Nevertheless; Inuyasha wasn't a quitter he was a fighter. Trembling like a drug addict that needed a good fixing he placed one hand on the ground and the other on the hilt of his sword that was sticking up in the sand. Pushing down on his blade he rose to one knee breathing heavily. While Max perceived the hanyo as just a belligerent fool who fought with just his blade and not his mind, he did greatly admire his perseverance. Gazing up from where he knelt the hanyo cringed at the sight of his opponent still standing, waiting, and watching for the next move he would make.

_This is bad! This is real bad! _Inuyasha thought angrily. It was impossible for him to use his most powerful tactic with his sword the backlash wave since his adversary had no demonic energy or enough spiritual power to unleash at him. The windscar was also not accessible because of the lack of demonic winds colliding with the gentle wind that was wafting between them. _Ya know. I guess I've never thought of being beaten by an opponent like this _he thought with frustration and twinge gleaming in his brilliant amber eyes. Suddenly Max's attention was drawn away from the hanyo. A large invertebrate creature punctured the sand. Leaping away with instinct on his side he drew his crossbow and fired at the creature. The bolt landed between the spidery creatures huge fangs and it screeched with pain. Greenish almost yellow fluid gushed from the animal and it slowly fell to the sand. Gurgling clamors and wet growls rose from the giant arachnid's jaws, it was dying. Inuyasha's eyes widened with disbelief. _Maybe there's a chance after all_. Confidently he climbed to his feet, and a smile lightened his dirty and bruised face. Maximilian refocused his attention on the hanyo and was impressed that he was still able to stand. One of his knees was bent though and looked as if it would give at any given second.

"I have no clue why your wearing that thing," Max referred to his bright smile. "Nevertheless; you must be one of the most stubborn opponents I have ever taken on."

"Yaaah. I get that a lot you know. But to answer your other question, the tables just turned in my favor." Maximilian raised an inquiring eyebrow and half smirked in disbelief. That creature he had just killed was a ground gumo or better known by travelers and farmers as shocker spiders. They earned themselves that nickname from their habbits to borrow in weak and soft soil and would come up directly below their opponents with their huge fangs and many clawed legs. They were of a lesser breed of demonic life forms, but it was enough for Inuyasha to use the windscare. There was now a demonic aroma in the air and it was mixing with the winds. Just now, Max started to feel a change in the wind, and the air had a very abnormal taste and smell in the air. It smelled like it was going to rain, but it had a spicy sent that felt like he had smelled something infested with hot and zesty herbs.

"What the hell's going on?" he said to himself looking about the landscape. The wind was altering its current, and the earth felt like it was starting to tremor slightly. Max gazed at the hanyo boy who now had both his hands on his swords hilt and was taking his fighting stance once again. _Could it be that guy! No way! That's just not freakin possible! _Max had begun to realize that Inuyasha was behind the modifications that were occurring in the surrounding environment. The hanyo could see the demonic winds mingling with the normal wind currents now.

"I'll admit your very talented yourself, but let me see if you can dodge this!" Inuyasha said raising his blade over his head. With the rest of his strength he brought his sword down and unleashed the powerful energy from the windscare. Viciously the sand parted and the ground split with the dazzling light created by the deadly force of demonic energy. Max shielded his face and threw himself to the earth. Inuyasha also shielded his eyes from the blinding light. Booming roars escaped from the energy mass as it ripped and shredded the sand dune. Gradually the noises quieted as the wave of indestructible energy blast faded and vanished into the air. Carefully, Inuyasha lowered his wide sleeve from his eyes. Before him, he gazed upon the long gulley that was left by the windscare. There was no sign of the adventurous stranger anywhere. Taking a step forward the hanyo remembered not to get to confident about his devastating attack.

_For all I know that bastard could be still alive. _He sheathed his sword and walked down the deep path left by the windscare. Noting moved. Constantly looking from his left to his right he saw no remains of his adversary. With no remains it was hard for Inuyasha to convince himself that he had at finally won. Then again the hanyo knew that absent evidence wasn't always proof of absence. At that thought he started to imagine that Max was decimated to dust by the blast of his windscare. Cockiness and certainty began to plague his alert and cautious mind set. _Belligerent fool! Now look who's the fool now!_ He said with a smile as he stood in the middle of the path created by his attack. Abruptly, all of his thoughts of triumph and preeminence ended. A dirty bare hand plunged out of the sand and grabbed Inuyasha's ankle. With shock and disbelief he looked over his left shoulder at the ground. With out warning another hand ripped up from the sand and grabbed his other ankle. _No way!_ With his right hand he reached for his sword but Maximilian was already two moves ahead of him.

Using both his hands that clutched Inuyasha's feet tightly he pulled himself upwards. Like a rocket leaving the earth Cavaliers legs rose from the sand. _**Clunk! **_From his right and left side of Inuyasha's head was grabbed by Max's feet. The demon boy snarled and tried to pull his feet away from his skull. However; Max was about to finish his opponent. Standing on his hands now he leaned in the opposite direction of where Inuyasha was standing and with both his feet flung Inuyasha through the air. The last thing the hanyo saw was the grey gloomy sky that hung high above as he sailed through the air. **Crunch!** He landed flat on his face and the whole world became pitch black. Rising to his feet and dusting himself off Max looked over his shoulder at his defeated opponent.

"That guy's got potential, too bad he's never seen it," he remarked and then walked to the edge of where the strong hold once stood powerfully and disappeared into the edge of the dark forest.

_DAMN! _

_Even Inuyasha failed against this bad hombre! _

_Next chapter will be just as action packed with even more surprises! _


	4. Demons And Darkness

Demons And Darkness

_It's now legit that my character Max Cavalier has a thing for flipping the worlds he comes in contact with and its inhabits upside down. Night has fallen and Sango and Miroku are quite puzzled at the fact that Inu and Kagome didn't show up! We know why, and there about to find out! _

_Also Chippo who makes his appearance is not exactly a fox demon or what ever you call it, he is from the red fox village, there was demon and human intermarriage centuries ago; so some of the people have different features and eye and hair coloring than the other human characters in this story._

_Enjoy and give me your thoughts! _

Night had come, and all its dark serenity accompanied it. The scorching sun had descended into the hills along with its incinerating rays. The forest was almost motionless and silent, with only the droning and humming crickets and flickering bats collecting their evening meal. The stars lit up the dazzling shadowy canopy that oversaw the earth. Luminously, the great full moon provided some light to the creatures that awoke during these times. Most demons were actually not nocturnal on the island of Honshu, and many had receded to the shadows and slept satisfyingly. Too bad Kagome could not par take in their pleasures. She was still awake, but had an atrocious soreness that aggrieved her depressed chocolate eyes. They were growing heavier every minute and it felt like a true battle to keep them closing. Pain and exhaustion clutched her body tighter than her bounds and the adhesive slime that anchored her to the ground.

_Death doesn't seem so scary anymore. _Making one last attempt to stand up she tried to roll her body side to side like a cradle.Trying to roll out of the muck that clung to her diminutive and petite figure didn't bring much comfort or progress. _Because when you're dead pain isn't existent. _That greenish gunk that Inuyasha slathered over her lips was starting to harden and encrust her mouth, she groaned in pain. The hanyo boy had been gone for over four if not five hours now, and the stars were dominating the sky and lighting it up with their incandescent pale glow. _Be_ _back soon, huh, my ass!_ _Inuyasha where on Earth are you. I hope he really didn't go after that Cavalier person_. The thought of him going after that mysterious adventurer wasn't the thought that scared her the most; it was the notion that he was mortally wounded. _No! Don't think of stuff like that!_ It was hard to imagine another scenario. He rarely got lost, especially if he was searching for something like Kagome._ Or maybe he just forgot! Dammitt! Don't think of shit like that either! _She thought rolling her eyes. Suddenly there was movement in the small cluster of bushes off to her far left. Glancing at them in the dim moon light she felt another rush of apprehension and fear consumed her body. Definitely, it wasn't Inuyasha he would have crept up on her in a much stealthier fashion. _God! If I got a dollar, no! A quarter each time some freak tried making a move on me I would be richer than the United States! _Once again she tried to squirm and liberate muffled squeals all to no avail. Shortly she stopped resisting and just closed her eyes and waited for what ever it was to engage her. Her heart began to beat like a Latin drum fiercely as sweat rolled and tumbled down her forehead.

"Kagome, is that you?" a very proverbial voice rang out through the night. Steadily the young girl's eyes opened and glanced over to her left where she had heard the rustling noises and the voice. Standing on a small mound of dirt there was the young boy from the red fox village. Kagome couldn't really decipher his features, but his silhouette was enough for her to conclude who he was. Then he stepped down from the dirt mound, he wasn't much taller than three feet and wore a green vest with turquoise pants with drawings of flowers and daggers decorating each pant leg elaborately.

_Chippo! I'm glad you're not what I thought you were. _Relief subsided in her and her heart felt the need to labor so intensely loosen. The small boy hopped from rock to rock towards where she laid. Carefully, he kicked off his getta and placed one foot on the muck. Kagome squeaked with under the slime that sealed her lips.

"Its alright, I'm lighter than you, and I know the trick only me and my brothers know to moving through this stuff," he said brushing a small cluster of pine needles off her face. "I'm afraid to ask what happened to you." In the pale light of the stars Chippo so her pretty dark eyes narrow and were followed by an angry groan. "Oh yeah," he responded. From his pocket the fox child withdrew a dagger and slid it through the hardened gunk over her mouth. With his other hand he clutched the gagging blob and then with all his strength he pulled it off. Furiously bit down on the pinecone between her teeth and growled. Then she attempted to spat it out, however; at the angle she was it gravity was working against her.

"Let me give you a hand with that," Chippo reasoned. Reaching one of his tiny hands down her mouth, he yanked out the giant gagging seed. Repugnantly, he looked away from it and cringed, then flung it behind him.

"Sit boy! Sit! Sit! Sit!" she squealed like a rabid banshee. The small boy looked away from her and covered his sharp ears.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Somethin really serious must have happened between you two!" Chippo commented.

"Ya think!" Kagome snapped. Now that rationality was starting to settle in within her, she realized he was too far away for the beads to work.

"I'm starting to second guess my Samaritan gesture! You might be angry at canine for brains, but don't kill the rescuer," Chippo said placing his hands on his waist.

"He's going to know what pain really is when I see that blasted, macho, mutt-face! Uhhh!" Chippo hadn't seen her quite this angry in a long time. "Still would you accept my admission of guilt?" she said softly looking at the boy with eyes of remorse.

"It's alright!" Chippo said with a laugh. "So how did this happen?"

"Long, Long, terrible story. Let's just start by saying it had to deal with a clan of stealthy ninjas, a mystic traveler, and Inuyasha being his idiotic and reckless, selflessness self."

"I see."

"What are you doing out here. I thought you had a family reunion ceremony in the mountains?" Kagome inquired.

"Sure do and I'm on my way there. I just decided to sleep out here tonight in the cool and tranquil canopy. Just as I felt the tug of slumber, I heard some kind of groaning sound. And well, I guess that's how I found you."

"Thank you for descending for me," she responded with a smile. Then she started to wiggle and squirm a bit in the muck, the nasty stuff made her bounds that much harder to deal with.

"Need help?" he questioned.

"I'm in control," she said trying to pull her back and thighs from the slime angrily. "I think."

"Sure doesn't look that way," he declared with a smile

"Well if you're an expert in this BS pull me out!" she ordered.

"Then ya better have some munchies or gold, because if ya think I'm doin everything for nothin your wronnnngg!"

"How could you," she whimpered in pain. A tear rolled down the side of her cheek. Chippo rolled his green blue eyes at her.

"Hey! Hey now. I was just kidding," he said and unsheathed his tiny dagger. Working carefully he started to cut around the greenish ooze that had started to solidify around her body. The goop was not an easy substance to remove. In many ways it wasn't really a solid, but more like a shapeless liquid. It behaved and attached itself to things like a solid would though. "I was just trying to see how much you had bitch," he said under his breath.

"What?!" she yelled.

"Nothin," he responded quickly.

"That's what I thought. Could you be more careful, that blade is still sharp even though it's puny." _Like someone I know. _

"I apologize you're majesty," Chippo grunted working his way down to her waist. The slime that encased the back of her naked thighs and butt was really hard and it was thick and sticky. "Try and stand up," Chippo ordered.

"Sure. Do you also want me to get you a vase of sake as well? If I could stand up I would have done it already genius!"

"This half of your body I separated from the muck, just do what I ask," he said trying to remain calm. She clenched her teeth and tried to move, half of her body she pulled from the gunk but her thighs and ass was still stuck like she had been glued. Panting heavily she fell back down to the muck.

"I'm too weak," she remarked in a depressed and meager voice.

"Man that stuff is tough," Chippo said shaking his head.

"Thank you captain obvious!" she roared. "While you're a—"a big glob of the ooze was smacked over her petite lips. She moaned and whimpered under the gagging slime.

"That's a little bit better," Chippo laughed. Leaping over her he with drew his dagger and small bo staff. Gently he began to make more cuts in the adhesive substance and placed the staff against her back. One way he could get her out is if he pried her off of the gunk like removing a tire from a rim. A very moist and damp cracking sound rippled through the docile and quiet night as Chippo separated the slime from her back. Large greenish blobs and a thick trail of ooze dotted the back of her white shirt. Removing the substance from her skirt was harder, mainly because unlike her shirt it could move freely with Chippo's hands and it annoyed him.

"Mmmmmhh!" Kagome groaned under the sticky ooze that muffled her words.

"Oh that's right Kagome," Chippo remarked. With that comment he flipped her over on her belly. Her face landed right where she had been lying. Most of the slime was gone now, so instead she was met with dirt and worms in her face. "I almost forgot about these," he said sawing away at the small ropes that bonded her wrists. From under the dirt Kagome released a muffled growl.

A cool zephyr soothingly passed through the dark and starlit awning and across the ground of the forest. Staggering around like a drunken moron Inuyasha made his way through the dark woodlands. Light was provided by the immense and white moon, coupled with the brilliant and vivid stars. That was more than enough light for him. He had a constant pain in his right ankle, it felt like it had been twisted and cracked. A very conspicuous and acerbic soreness throbbed in his spinal cord and neck. His body had been able to endure attacks from arrows, swords, demons, and even his own devastating offensive move the Wind Scare, but at this moment he was in extremely intense pain. His entire body was slipping into a condition of excruciating and invariable agony. The hanyo gasped as he stumbled like a bewildered and delirious elderly person. Fortunately, the demon reflexes kicked in and he got a hand on the ground before he made impact.

"I haven't been in this much agony in forever," he said to himself. Staring up from where he knelt he saw a huge oak tree with smashed logs lying everywhere beneath it. Moss had subjugated some of its enormous roots that sprang out of the ground and curled downwards. _Man I'm still that far away. _After the battle with Maximilian he had suffered a lot of internal damages. His bones cracked and made squeaking noises that sounded like they were about to fracture on him. Tendons ached and his heart and lungs toiled arduously to keep his body moving. It had also been awhile since he had something to eat as well. His stomach growled and he clutched it with a scowl.

On a hill in a small forest clearing Sango and Miroku took refuge. A small fire crackled and danced vivaciously in front of them warming their faces. Both of them sat on a large and lengthy log. Where they sat on the log there was a thick patch of moss that made things ergonomically more satisfying to sit. Sango was wearing her dark and thin black and pink armor. The dark colors of her clothing helped emphasize her slim figure. Her pink and black mascara complemented her clothing. Miroku sipped from a small tea cup, he was behaving differently. He had been sitting in silence ever since they had made camp. Miroku was a man that was always interested in how a day had been spent; he was habitually interested in how she had always spent hers. The monk perceived days very much like money. Except unlike money you couldn't reclaim them or earn more is what he had always said about them. She sighed softly and curved her gaze towards where he sat in front of the lustrous fire.

"Today had a very strange set of events didn't it?" she spoke softly trying not to sound to sure of herself. The monk brought his tea cup down from his mouth and inhaled and exhaled calmly.

"It was." His response was unusually stern. Something was disturbing him, it wasn't profound, but it did seem to distract him somewhat. Not only did he always ask her a lot of questions before they went to sleep, he always seemed happy that the day was over and they had the opportunity to rest. "I'm still surprised that neither of them showed up."

"Maybe they did show up," she looked over at him. "But since we had left to go assist the wounded down at that raided caravan, they could have shown up while we were down there," she explained.

"That's possible but I doubt it. When Inuyasha accompanies Kagome he always makes sure that they are never late. You know how seriously he takes his punctuality. I'm starting to assume that they too had collided with something," Miroku said laying more wood on the fire. Sango nodded quietly. Looking over his shoulder he studied her carefully. Her thin hands rested in her lap, and her head hung low with her long dark pony tail waving and dancing with the soft breeze of the night. He felt a sudden jab to his sense of accountability. It was now apparent to him that he had been neglecting her, it bothered her and now it was bothering him as well. There was something in the atmosphere today, something going on in his mind and it just didn't feel right. He always got like this when he assumed there was a threat at hand. Nevertheless; that was no excuse to overlook how Sango was feeling. Standing up in front of the fire he turned around and sat right next to Sango on the large log. Even though he was inches from her he was worlds away from her mentally and spiritually. She continued to stare perplexedly at her lap.

"Is something discomforting you?" he asked attempting to sound more sincere. She blinked silently. "Sango please, you told me that clear and concise communication is key for any two people to understand each other," he said running a hand across her thin shoulders and down her upper back. Again the girl remained silent and gazed off in a direction away from him. _Great. Looks like I really won some chief points this time around _he thought with frustration gaping at the ground.

"Nothing, there's nothing bothering me," she spoke, her voice like silk. "Although something is stealing your concentration and train of thought, though I don't know what it is, but I wish I did," she said looking over at him. He looked into her soft russet eyes with the glow from the wielding fire rebounding off her face. There wasn't an easy answer for her because he couldn't always get in depth on the details and descriptions of his senses and emotions himself. Miroku was also very reluctant when it came to talking about how he felt deep inside about certain things.

"Its hard to explain, but something has been bothering me today. You could say it feels that there is a great monstrosity or a great threat that is evolving, and only I can feel its demonic presence. Just like how Kagome feels the allure of a sacred jewel shard." That was the best way he could have explained his lingering irritation. "I apologize for making you feel like I pushed you into the darkness."

"Okay then, I understand then" she responded looking back down at her lap. Delicately he continued to caress her silky and soft firm back. Running his strong hand up and then sliding it down to her waist and along her smooth hips. However; he did it in a very vigilant and quixotic manner and for once he didn't come off as being lecherous at all. Sango displayed no signs of dissent or pleasure, she remained still and silent.

_Well this is going nowhere fast _Miroku thought.

"I'm going to take a quick walk around the perimeter and I'll lay down a few purification cards. They'll give us a good barrier to anything that might be out there, and if Naraku or one of his reincarnations shows up we'll at least be ready," he spoke picking up his large staff and walking off down the shadowed hillside. Sango sighed quietly.

Occasionally they felt like they were a single being, but at other times it felt like they were from dissimilar dimensions. A small blue glass vase full of sake sat up against the log next to her. Carefully the young demon slayer picked it up and poured it into one of the white and glossy ceramic tea cups. Sipping it lightly she could feel the fermented rice wine wash across and pleasure her sensitive taste buds.

_This stuff is really good. _Sango thought taking another sip. Closing her eyes she placed the cup back down on the log. One had to take time and let the exquisite and tender taste reconcile within both the mind and body. For the moment it also felt nice to indulge in complete solitude. Feeling the temperate breezes embrace and sieve through her hair and across her face felt stupendous and invigorating. Time itself started to come to a serene halt. In spite of everything; there was something that interfered with the flow of the universe around her. _Those hands I'm gonna chop'em off!_ She felt a pair of hands rub her waist and around and over her sleek hips. However; his hands seemed to know all the right places to touch her. Usually Miroku would fondle and grope her like a starving demon, but these hands were delicate and soothing. Her heart's pace started to quicken vigorously with passion as her skin temperature rose. _God! You hit the G spot on the bulls eye mark this time you womanizing prophet. _Skeptically, the pair of hands that caressed and clutched her tenderly seemed as if they had a different master. She looked down at her waist and she saw the edge of his hands, Sango didn't recognize them. _Of course, I thought they were to smooth and accurate to be Miroku's claws. _Breath, warm and sultry breath creased the back of her thin neck. A chin rested on her head followed by someone's cool chest pressed against her back frivolously. Quivering faintly she looked up toward the stars and met the face of the man that had been handling her with such a romantic, sexual, and zealous style. Taking a deep breath she was going to question his abrupt and unforeseen presence. However; he cut her off right before she could even open her mouth.

"Hiii," he said in a welcoming voice starring into her profound and dark beautiful eyes.

"G-Good evening," she replied in a very low voice. Judging by his features and hair and eye color, he wasn't from her country. His appearance reminded her of one of those European men. _Yes, those hot western guys _she thought. _He looks just like them._

"You know that sake over there looks mighty tasty. Mind if I have a hit?" he questioned her stroking her waist.

"Sure." Her voice carried a very compliant and none threatening tone. As she reached down to pick up the vase the stranger's left hand gripped her skin and lean trunk muscles tightly.

"I don't want your dagger though," he said in a roguish and mischievous voice.

_How did he know! _Sango's spine straightened with shock and her lungs inhaled sharply. In her left hand she held out her tea cup and poured the sake into it like a first class bar tender.

"Nice job," the whispering voice sounded again. When she finished pouring it she held it parallel to her head. Elegantly his hand left her side and clasped the small ceramic tea cup. He sipped charily, and then began to down the drink. "Damn, this is grade A," the shadowed man remarked. Sango could then feel his body easing up off of hers. Swinging both feet over the log he took a seat next to her on the log. Now almost fully revealed by the fires dynamic and vivid orange and red glow she could fully decipher his features and appearance. He wore a dark vest with a pair of brown pants with interesting side pockets. Hanging Over his right shoulder there was a sword with an unusual cross guard and handle in a secure scabbard. His arms were strong looking and had a few scars here and there. It seemed odd that the young man was taking a seat with her, for whatever reason though, it comforted her. "Did you ferment this yourself?"

"I only wish," she responded. "Would you like some more?" she questioned with uncertainty in her calm voice.

"Sure. I prefer a straight shot from the vase," he said placing the small tea cup down.

"That's fine," she mentioned and handed him the small vase. Sango was still a bit puzzled by this handsome and mysterious person's prerogative. He took a shot from the vase and then leaned his head back slightly and savored the side effects of the delightful beverage. The beautiful demon slayer picked up the tea cup and looked at it still trying to gather all of her confounding thoughts on the moment.

"Allow me," the stranger spoke reaching over to her with the vase in hand and poured some of the drink into her small cup. Sango smiled at him brightly.

"Thank you," she said trying to sound reassured.

"So you from around here?"

"Kind of. I was born in southern Honshu in a small village that specialized in demon slaying. Since then I have been everywhere."

"Cool," the stranger commented sipping from the light blue vase of sake.

"What brings you to this area?" she asked nipping at her sake. Drinking with him made her look even more comforted and relaxed, and she was parched anyways.

"A lot of things, but right now just one thing in particular has brought my presence," he spoke with a grin. Elevating his right hand Sango's eyes broadened with astonishment and trepidation. He held a blade that looked something like a bowie knife, at the end of it there was a creature with a scaly exoskeleton like shell with a pair of broad fangs. Greenish blood ran down its body and traveled down the blade and dripped off its hilt. _**Ptit! **_A drop of the creature's blood landed on a crumpled up leaf down below at their feet.

"These little bastards can do a number on ya," he said looking at the monstrosity.

"Th-thank you," she said in a very perturbed voice.

"Any time," he replied coolly. Then with a quick flick of his wrist he flung it in the blazing fire. The dead creature's exoskeleton didn't hold up well against the fire and it crumbled and dissolved in mere minutes. His act of selfless protection made her think even harder about this man. It was hard for her to admit it to herself but she couldn't help starring at his unique and handsome characteristics. "Also it would have been a very terrible thing to have someone so attractive and exquisite killed by something so gruesome and rudimentary," he said gazing into her face.

_Blast! This guy really knows how to play his cards right! _Sango considered trying not to blush. His arrival seemed eerie and unknown at first, but his actions and his lexis washed away all those things significantly. Most of her reasons for fearing this man started to subside and, were replaced by notions of curiosity and wonder. Still, she kept in mind that anything was possible, but it troubled her to think of this man being a henchman or some kind of attractive but deadly demon for Naraku. She also figured he could have killed her when he had slaughtered that ugly looking creature.

Down below the small hill the moon light brightened the small clearing. Mystical and dark shadows of pine and other trees stretched across the small field. Miroku placed another card down in the dark green grass. He had completed the first half of the holy impediment.

"This should keep us safe for the time being," he said to himself. Suddenly, his acute ears picked up something, it sounded like people talking. His earshot was very impressive, and now it was serving him well. Pivoting from where he stood he glanced back up at their camp fire, he saw someone sitting up there that he did not identify as friend or foe.

"What's your name?" Sango asked circumspectly.

"Names Max Cavalier, and you?"

"My name is Sango."

"That's a unique one, can't say I know too many," Max replied.

"I'm not sure what it means, but I think it has to deal with-" she started to look up at the sparkling and dark night sky. For a few moments it seemed that the meaning of her name escaped her thoughts.

"Bravery, beauty, audacity, exclusivity, or creativity, is it any of those things?" Cavalier asked eyeing her sharply. Once again she tried but couldn't stop from blushing. It was so nice to have a man for once in her life who commented on how she looked and who she was. Miroku obviously cared for her very much, but he was terrible when it came to expressing his emotions. Gazing down at the ground she saw that a few small drops of the creature's bright green blood had fallen on Max's cargo pants. There were even a few spots that had trickled onto his forearms. Not saying anything Sango picked up a piece of cloth that she and Miroku used for polishing their blades and used it to swab away at the green splotch. Maximilian raised an inquiring eyebrow, but then inherently smiled as he knew what she was doing.

"Here let me get that for you too," she spoke taking his arm. With a few warm and soft strokes she collected all of the creature's body solution. Running a slender hand through her beautiful hair Max's face brightened with a deeper grin in a physical wave.

"Thank you," there was a great quality and sincere tone to his voice.

"That should be all that you do for him!" a voice roared from down the hill.

"What the! Who the hell asked you buddy?!" Max said looking in the direction of the voice. About four meters from where they sat Miroku stood with is great staff gleaming in the pale moon light. His face looked as if it had been chiseled out of rigid concrete. "Who's this bozo?"

"Infidel," Miroku growled pointing at Max.

"I really hope this loser is your stocker, and not your body guard or boyfriend," Max said in a low and slightly agitated voice. "What do you want, and what makes you think that I want to decimate your little belief system?" Miroku's brows narrowed with anger and intensity. Whoever this guy was he was jumping flat on Miroku's bad side.

"Miroku don't hurdle to any ideas just yet, this man saved me," Sango pleaded.

"Sango," he replied softly closing his eyes. "I thought at least you would be able to see through this rouge's trickery and scheming," he spoke opening his eyes. Things were heating at an irrepressible tempo between all of them. Miroku and Maximilian were already preparing in their minds to unleash their talents. "If you know what I am you should run," Miroku's pitch had risen to a threatening sound. Max stood up from where he sat and starred at the Monk with potency and aggression in his crystal blue eyes.

"If you're a dude that specializes in converting people, you should at least know how to enlighten them, or does that BS religion condemn that kind of thing?" he said grinning. "I guess an infidel wouldn't know those kinds of things."

Miroku was ready for this stranger to attack at any moment now. He moved his right foot forward and his left foot back for balance and strength. Whatever this stranger had planned for him, he was going to be ready.

"Enough!" he bellowed as if he wanted the whole forest to hear his roar. "Attack me if you will, but if do I assure you, you'll endure a horrendous defeat," he spoke like he was announcing his foe's fate in front of a nation. Sango had never seen Miroku show so much gallantry. A sinister smirk came across Max's face.

"On that note," he spoke coolly. Swift as a raptor he leaped off the ground and lashed out at Miroku with his sword straight out of his scabbard. Shifting his weight onto his rear foot he raised his staff and blocked his adversary's vertical slash. With out warning Cavalier planted a kick on Miroku's chest as he landed. The impact of Max's kick knocked the monk senseless and he tumbled backwards. Sango gasped.

_Wow! This guy was able to knock Miroku to the ground in just two movements, well three if you include the… Well! Oh who cares two moves it was. I'll give it to him _Sango thought.

The world rose and fell behind the monk and then repeated itself constantly. Miroku rolled all the way down to the bottom of the hill. Wiping the dirt from his face he snarled with great irritation.

_That miscreant is so going down. _Shuffling around in the darkness Miroku propped himself up on one knee and batted at his long robe frantically. Not to far from where he knelt he heard and felt movement come tarring through the ground. Maximilian hand sprung backwards off the ground and landed on his feet in a devilish stance with his sword in his right hand and his other hand held itself wide open with his fingers curled like claws.

"So tell me more about this defeat, is it a quickee that's painless and no fun, or is it involving and excruciating?" he said with an ominous smile.

"I'm now aware that it's not necessary to withhold back anything," Miroku spoke confidently. Standing up he displayed the hidden weapon in his staff with a snapping twist. _**Shink! **_The plain end of his staff had a long sharp spike in the center and three blades that protruded outwards and formed a three point star. In some ways his bladed end staff represented a yari.

"Shall we then," Max snickered. Miroku dashed across the grassy field with elegance and ferocity. He swung his great staff horizontally at Max, the stranger leaned away and blocked. The monk regained his balance and then charged forward unleashing another volley of deadly shoves and swings. Frantically Maximilian back peddled, blocking and parrying every one of Miroku's attacks. Sango dashed down the hill after the two combatants. When she arrived at the bottom of the hill she was greeted by Kirara. The small cat demon looked up at her and meowed. Hair swaying benevolently Sango shook her pretty head. They were not to interfere. It would be a dishonor not just to Miroku but them as well. She watched on in amazement.

Both the warriors had their own styles, but when they clashed it looked as beautiful and energetic as pair of dancers or athletes competing. Miroku swung the ornamented end of his staff, Max rolled under it and then sprang up from the ground with an uppercut motion of his sword. The monk threw his body just in time to avoid the blade by a hair. Red faced the monk brought his staff down as if it were a mallet, Cavalier side stepped it and slashed at Miroku. Sparks glistened like embers erupting from a burning fire as their blades clashed. Stabbing forward Miroku yet again unleashed another barrage of lethal lunges with the bladed end of his staff. Stepping side to side and backwards Max parried all of his strikes with his sword held tightly in his right hand. Clouds of sparks shot out of the air and clanging and jagged noises of smashing metal pounded and ricocheted off their eardrums. With all his might Miroku lunged forwards with the bladed end directed at Max's midsection. He pivoted and knocked the end of the staff downwards, Miroku fell to one knee. Still pivoting on the ball of his foot Maximilian brought the heel of his other foot that was in the air down on Miroku's shoulder. The monk crashed to the earth grabbing where he had been impacted by Max's kick. Cavalier looked down at his defeated opponent and shook his head.

"So I see in this world all the warriors who talk a lot of garbage often become the stuff," Maximilian spoke crossing his arms.

"Max, you can sheath your blade, he is finished!" Sango yelled over to him.

"Relax chick, this funky monk isn't worth blotching my blade," he responded gazing into his long sword.

"Sure about that," a voice called up from the ground. Miroku was staggering like a smashed druggie but he still had the determination to fight. With both his arms he swung at Max's knees. Leaning to the side his opponent slashed from Max's feet left the earth and he cart-wheeled over his contender's staff. Landing right beside Miroku Max dropped down to both of his palms and swept both of his feet under him like a gymnast performing the flair. Miroku's feet were met with Max's hand-spinning kick and tripped him up. After dealing the kick attack to his adversary Cavalier hand sprung back up to his feet again and dashed into the dark forest.

"You haven't won yet," the Shinto follower yelled climbing back to his feet. Sango called his name but the stubborn monk also dashed towards the cluster of trees.

"I swear that roguish holy man is going to be the freakin death of me," Sango snarled through clenched teeth. On both of her feet with her huge boomerang over her shoulder she also dashed after Cavalier. She could clearly see that Max was of a higher caliber than Miroku when it came to melee style combat. The Shinto follower may have had a much longer weapon than Cavalier's, but his acrobatic and bizarre fighting style coupled with his lethal swordsmanship could easily repel the monk. Another thing that bothered her was that the notion that if Miroku kept pursing this stranger he would come across a side of Max that fought to kill not just defeat and injure.

Darkness and stillness heavily entrenched the desolate forest. _**Crimp!**_ The sound of Miroku's foot stepping on a bed of moss rippled through the quiet air. The full moon did add a small hue of pale light, it made searching in the endless blackness a little bit easier. A vague layer of fog and mist hovered in the air around him. _He's here, he has to be. _In the deep forest Miroku was at a disadvantage, Maximilian could easily utilize the darkness and crowed vegetation and unleash an ambush. All threats and levels of hazard didn't phase him even the slightest. He was going to defeat this foreign infidel and that was all that mattered to him right now. _**Shffffshhshfff!**_Something was lurking in the bushes behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw the dark silhouette of the wide plant slightly swaying and scuffling from movement. Rotating his feet and stance he raised his staff and prepared to get back to the combat phase and mind set.

"Come out and bring it all on," Miroku said under his breathe. To his amazement a small raccoon came waddling out of the fluttering bush. The monks face dropped with shock, but then he felt something whistle by over head. Falling down to the earth like a small leaf swinging unthinkingly was something small and dark. Putting his hand out he let the black stem land in his hand. It was a heap of his own hair! Turning quickly in that direction he saw another deadly flash of movement. _**Thunk!**_ A crossbow bolt landed between his feet. The mechanical noise rippled through the air again and another bolt slashed through one of his sleeves. _Blast! I'm going to get shot to death if I stay here any longer! _Swiftly he turned and dashed deeper into the dark forest, stepping over logs and hideous roots alike. Branches caught him in the face and the dark silhouettes of trees struck quick pulses of fear into his heart as he almost collided with them as he ran. Eventually he came to small sandy path that curved and angled like a slithering snake. He collapsed to his hands and knees, he was exhausted beyond belief. Sweat rolled off his face and dripped onto the sand below him. _I feel like such a foolish coward!_ He thought catching a few droplets of the salty substance with his sleeve. _**Shunk!**_ Another crossbow bolt landed right in front of his eyes in the sand path.

"Man I would really hate to go on a guerilla war with you," a familiar voice sounded from the high canopy. Gazing over to his right Miroku saw a dark figure standing high in a tree holding a crossbow. The figure aimed a silent and deadly weapon at the monks head and fired again. Rolling away on his hands and feet the monk dodged the bolt. With great haste steadying his heart and body he jumped to his feet and started to dash at his adversary. _**Fshhhhu! **_Another bolt shot down from the canopy. Pushing away on one foot the Shinto follower evaded the bolt by mere inches. With his right hand he threw his staff as if it were a javelin through the air at the shadowed figure. Nevertheless his opponent caught it with a single hand. "Now that was just cheap. Allow me to show you how to really use this thing," the voice chuckled. Leaping out from where he stood in the tree and into the moon light Miroku knew who he was now.

Max held his sword in his right hand and Miroku's staff in his left hand. Spinning like the blades of a helicopter he spun his body with both weapons held out far from him. As he spun through the air both the bladed end of his staff and Max's unique sword chopped down tree branches and showered pine needles and leaves down on Miroku. Covering his face with his sleeve Miroku tried to retreat down the path. Max followed him jumping from tree to tree severing branches and bombarding the monk down below.

"This is really bad," Miroku said behind his sleeve. Not looking where he was going his foot stepped in a ditch and he stumbled and wobbled trying to keep his balance. _**Fomp! **_Max landed right behind him in a crouched position. With a swing of Miroku's staff, he sent his opponent crashing to the ground.

"Man, I thought you were going to actually be a challenge," Max said tossing his defeated opponents staff on the ground. He shook his head and walked away silently.

"Wait, I haven't even shown you my family's ancient style yet," Miroku said from behind Max. The adventurer spun around and saw that the monk was already getting back to his feet. Once he got to his feet he held his staff out in front of him like a great lance. _**Swoosh! Swish! SwashSawash Swshhh! **_Elegantly and vigilantly he began to spin and swing his staff like the wings of a windmill or blades of a propeller, over his head and in front of his face.

"Good style," Max nodded. Then the monk began to approach Max still rotating his staff. Max backed up and parried Miroku's attack, this time he noticed that his adversary was taking a totally different approach. While he would make slashes and swings at his opponent he kept his staff spinning like wind shredding propeller blades of an airplane. This way it would be very hard to decipher his movements. Max continued to cart-wheel, back handspring and back peddle away from his opponent. Pivoting on both his feet he swung the bladed end of his staff at an angle towards Max's head. Cavalier blocked it but staggered backwards, it wasn't like him to lose his composure. Standing side ways Miroku began to spin his staff again, this time both its bladed end and the ornament end dug into the sand. Firing up from the ground huge chunks of sand and dirt kicked and barraged Maximilian in the face. They stung and annoyed him. "Oh come on not with the cheap moves again," he said strafing away from his opponent holding his sword horizontally.

"I see your sense egotism and self assurance has faded a bit," Miroku said with a grin. Leaping into the air he smashed the side of a near by tree with a slicing blow. Shards of tree bark tore away sadistically from the great plant. Max slashed through the bombardment and blocked Miroku's oncoming attack. Sparks sprayed across their faces and passed through the tranquil air. Both of them carefully stepped backwards keeping their eye contact locked on each others movements like heat seeking missiles. "This time I won't miss," Miroku said with a pitch of smugness in his voice.

Keeping his feet part and his sword steady Maximilian was ready for anything else this mystic monk had up his sleeve.

"So you were holding back the whole time, wise tactic. I guess I did underestimate you a bit," Max spoke. Stepping forwards the monk began to spin his staff again, round and round over his head and in front of his face. _**Swish! Swish! Swish! **_His brilliant staff cut through the air fluently with haste and grace. Instead of moving around like an animated acrobat Cavalier held his position. He raised his sword over his head with his right hand and once again held his other hand like a cluster of claws. He inhaled and exhaled calmly and gently. There wasn't going to be a second time  
Miroku would fail to land a fatal attack. The wind currents streamed the trees and plants swayed, creatures of the night crawled, but Maximilian remained still and waited like a patient viper lurking in the darkness. The prospect was about to present itself, Max just needed to be patient. His adversary was now just a few feet from him and he was closing in.

_Come on. Come on. _Max saw a break in his opponent's lethal and stylistic attack. Sweat started to pool at the base of his neck, it was hard to wait so diligently. Miroku was now less than three feet from where Max stood motionlessly. With lightning speed he drove his sword forward in one fluid motion. The center of Miroku's staff collided with Maximilian's blade and it jammed it, bringing it to a sudden halt. Miroku forgot to breathe, his attack was so unexpected and unforeseen it drew out his very spirit. To add further insult to injury Max pushed off the ground with both feet and landed them both on Miroku's chest. Bending backwards Max pushed off of Miroku and went into a back tuck flip. As the adventurer landed Miroku crashed backwards.

"Well so much for your little onslaught there," Max stated with a smile. The monk rubbed his head and didn't respond; the wind had literally been knocked out of him on that last attack. Suddenly a shuriken slashed out from a cluster of ferns that grew on the side of the trail. Max raised his shin and the blade hit the side of his thigh. Certain sections behind the cloth of his pants had very intricate and flexible metallic platting that served as armor. The dagger bounced off of him. _Dammnitt! So their going back to the whole ambush thing! I better get out to the clearing where sneaking and slashing wont be so easy. _He quickly turned and jogged down the path. Parting the ferns Sango emerged with Kirara now in her full fledge demonic form. She knelt next to her fallen comrade and placed a slender hand on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a voice thick with empathy.

"I'm fine," he responded. "Together we should be able to beat this bastard!" he said trying to climb to his feet.

"Miroku please, you've already witnessed and seen what he can do. Just leave him alone, I beg of you," she said clutching his arm. His eyes met her moonlit face. She looked sad and also frightened. He took a deep breathe and eyed her carefully.

"I wish I could stop this also. But I can't stay dormant while one of those is running wild in our country side. It is bad enough that we must face off and contend with demons and Naraku, but people like this alien are also dangerous to our society." With that he stood up with his staff in hand. "He's headed for that large field with that tall wavy grass; if we attack him together this time we would probably have a chance to catch him off guard, your boomerang will also be more effective out there anyways" he spoke as he started to jog down the sandy path. Sango shook her head in silence.

_He's just not getting it! _Sango could see that this alien didn't really mean either of them harm. Every time he got the upper hand he seemed to retreat or waited for Miroku to throw the first punch. Also the notion of trying to catch this guy off guard anywhere didn't sit well with her. This master Cavalier was one tough opponent and he possessed a fighting art that was truly unorthodox and powerful. With a soft sigh she got up from the path and ran after her companion.

Miroku studied the grassy field. It was going to be much harder for them to sneak up on him now. His eyes pivoted and rolled as he looked on for any signs of movement that couldn't be passed of as the grass swinging and waving in the gentle night zephyrs.

"You know that last move wasn't just cheap it was straight up dirty," a voice sounded from behind him. Moving with the wind and the resonance of his opponent's voice his eyes met the eyes of his opponent. Miroku almost stutter stepped backwards with shock in his face. It seemed as if the buccaneer just appeared out of the misty winds. With both hands on his staff he threw out another series of swipes and slashes. Max avoided them with side stepping movements and acrobats. Oddly enough he didn't even use his sword, except once to parry one of his contenders horizontal swipes.

Sango heard the sharp the reverberation of metal clashing echo through out the woods and ricochet off the trees. _They're at it again!_ The metallic clang was strident so they were very close. She came out to the end of the dark forest and saw the great field out stretched in front of her. _**Clannnng!**_ The sharp resonance of metal smashing against metal ripped through the soothing winds. Looking to her left she saw the two contenders continuing their battle. Miroku brought his staff down and followed it with a sweeping cut. Max cart wheeled out of the way and almost knocked the monk senseless with a high roundhouse kick. Holding their weapons high and in front of them they began to circle and study each others movements cautiously.

"I'll have to admit you're very skilled when it comes to using that awesome looking staff of yours. Unlike many warriors here in this world you know how to use your weapon of choice, not like a crude club. It's been very entertaining, but the curtain is calling," Max spoke with a sinister grin. With devilish speed he dashed towards his adversary and dove into a hand spring. When he rose from the flip he deflected Miroku's staff and then slashed at his left leg. His pant leg fell open as he staggered backwards, blood streamed out of it. The injury wasn't utterly severe but it slowed down his mobility tremendously.

"Miroku!" Sango screamed. The monk now staggering backwards held his staff in front of his face with both hands; chips and dents dotted the sides of it. Now it seemed like all he could do well was keep his guard up and block Max's attacks. Sango clenched her teeth frustratingly and sprinted towards them. Max's sword crashed on the center of Miroku's weapon, he tried to deflect the impact. Swiftly Max unleashed another deadly horizontal slash and cut a big slash mark across the monks chest. He grunted with intense pain and clutched his wound with his whole right arm. Yet again, Cavalier's slash wasn't fatal but it drew blood. His cloak began to dim with a dark crimson patch on his chest. Glaring up from his lesion he saw Max standing with his sword in its sheath and his fists on his waist.

"Should have seen this comin," Max spoke in a calm demeanor. Miroku snarled and swung his staff like a drunk. He didn't even come close, panting like it was over a hundred degrees out he crumbled and fell flat on his back. Max glared down at him in the bright moon light and shook his head. "At finally you see that your faith can not be relied upon for protection, it well just let your sorry old hide down every time" he spoke in a dark voice. Miroku's eyes eased open painfully. _**Swoosh! **_Sango's Hiraikotsu cleaved the air and almost cut Maximilian off guard. Snapping into a back bend he evaded it. When he straightened his back he made eye contact with the demon slayer.

"Oh not you too, ya gotta be freakin kiddin me," he spoke. When the huge projectile came back to her hands she lashed out again with it. Max hand sprung out of the way and somersaulted across the ground. _Dammitt! Are all the good lookin chicks in this world off the hook?! _Climbing to his feet he saw Sango's other powerful weapon on the battle field, Kirara. The demon cats crimson and black eyes narrowed with intensity. "Uh, why are we even going at it?" Maximilian questioned.

"You didn't have to go hurting Miroku like that!" she yelled angrily.

"He didn't have to call me an infidel," he defended with a smirk.

"I had all the reason in the world!" a familiar voice boomed. Max's eyes strayed from Sango and to his shock saw the monk on his feet again. His wounds had robbed him of his strength and he had looked to be placing all of his weight on his staff.

"Well I give ya points for being more stubborn than me, but scoring anything in the combat area is way out of the question," Max commented. A grim smile came across Miroku's war torn face. He still had a wild card he hadn't used.

"Sango! Get back," he commanded. Removing the Buddhist prayer beeds from around his right wrist he introduced Max to his secret and most powerful attack the Windtunnel. The winds suddenly started to gain speed. The buccaneer noticed the abrupt altercation in the wind currents, and gazed at the Shinto monk very carefully. Max had no idea that Miroku had an ace in the whole the entire time. He gripped his right wrist and held his fist out in front of him. Then suddenly opened it and unleashed the fury and power of his hidden weapon. Blades of long waving grass and dirt started to unearth themselves and were drawn into the gaping portal that appeared before the monk's right hand.

"What the hell!" Cavalier snapped. He unsheathed his sword and dug it into the ground and used it as a stabilizer. _Fuck! This guy really must be a conjurer or something! Whatever he is I'm hatin'em even more now!" _Glarring into the beautiful, gleaming, vibrant, and deadly vortex Max perceived somethingabout the monk's unusual and powerful attack. _Of course!_ Just then he ripped his sword up from the dirt and he was swept right off of his feet. Tumbling through the air he managed to sheath his sword and curled his limbs and somersaulted through the air like a cannon ball driving to its target. Miroku knew it was only going to be a matter of seconds before he had won the long battle. However; that all changed in one move.

Sango's eyes broadened with great shock as she saw Miroku get knocked to the ground. Max's shoulder had crashed directly into his sternum. He had planned and timed his powerful counter attack to the roll of thunder. The adventurer threw himself into the current, and then by contracting into a smaller form he could control his movements within the current of the wind tunnel. Then at the very last minute he threw all of his weight out, and he broke free from the current momentarily. He was traveling at such a speed and aerodynamic form the current itself didn't have control over him. Miroku fell to the ground this time he did not even flinch. A grin came across Max's face as he rose to his feet.

"Never thought your greatest weapon would be the biggest factor of your demise huh?" he spoke. Just then Sango unleashed her Hiraikotsu again; Max ducked under it and made his way across the field. When her huge spinning boomerang came back to her she dashed over to Miroku. There wasn't a trace of fear in her heart, he was in trouble. She knelt beside him and slid a hand behind his head and levitated it.

"Miroku! Miroku!" she screamed. _No he can't be _she thought painfully. Tried as she might she could keep most of her emotions under control, but tears started to stream down her sweaty face. _You can't be dead! You're more than my hero! I love you! _Suddenly she realized in her panic she had looked past the fact that she forgot about his pulse. She placed a couple of fingers to his neck and then checked his wrist, he had a pulse but it was weak. She placed her head to his chest, his heart was beating but it also felt anemic. With a hard breathe she looked over at her demonic feline friend.

"Kirara, I'm going to place some of those purification cards around him, but when I'm finished we need to pursue that alien." It was the first time she had referred to him as that. The beast grunted and nodded. Quickly she reached into his cloak and pulled out a small pile of cards. Working frantically she placed them all around her knocked out comrade. "Lets go." She jumped on Kirara's back and together they swiftly ran across the field to the entrance of forest on the other side.

Maximilian sat on a stop and examined his cross bow. It was smaller than both, and it was mechanically convoluted. There was a single arm that the archer used to crank back that also brought the bow string back as well. Below the winding arm there were several gears that could be torqued by a small axle in between them. The tightness of these gears would determine the power of the bow. However; the more torque that was applied to the gearing would make the winding arm that much harder to crank. The winding process would be more resistant, but resistance created more strength. What Max got in power it also would increase loading time; however, it wasn't that much more difficult. There was a screw in the middle of the bow's stock and that allowed it to be folded up so it could be carried easier and more space efficient. Suddenly he heard the dull crack of branches snapping under pounding feet. Looking frantically in all direction he didn't see anything. Then in the distance he saw was looked like flames coming towards him in the darkness of the forest floor.

"What the hell?" he spoke to himself. Then without warning he saw what was causing the flames. The huge saber toothed demonic feline leaped off the ground and off one of the thick oak trees. It's huge paws had flames running off of them, then they died down. "What is this, a tag team?!" Max said.

"I only wish," Sango answered. Just then Max dove off the stump and rolled across the ground. Crouching on the forest floor he aimed his cross bow at her. She didn't notice it but there was a small rock set in it. He quickly pulled the trigger and it whistled through the air. It ricocheted off of her shoulder and she tumbled off of Kirara's back. The stone lacked aerodynamics and shape but it was enough to take her to the ground. Kirara roared and darted across the dark earth kicking up dirt in thick clouds and leaves, twigs and other pieces of the forest. Max swung a damp log in front of him, Kirara's jaws clamped down on it and it shattered into a million splinters. With his right foot he kicked up a heap of dirt and pebbles. The stuff caught Kirara in the eyes and the saber cat roared in agony. Maximilian took the opportunity to get away from the feline beast and disappeared behind a cluster of ferns.

Sango achingly got to her feet shaking her head. _What was that?! _Snarling noises and roars escaped and exploded through out the still air.

"Kirara!" she shrieked. Picking up her great Hiraikotsu she slung it over her shoulder and dashed in the direction towards the roars and growls. Ducking under branches that she could barely see and constatly looking for nasty roots that could trip her wasn't making her movements any easier. Then she came to a small plot of land where the trees were sepereated and were more sparringly sprouting out of the ground. There was a large break in the thick canopy above, and insipid and vibrant light from the full vast moon flowed into it exhibiting the stranger and Kirara. The demonic feline moved about growling and snarling at its adversary trying to intemmidate him. Kirara's tail flickered with rage. Max now with an actual cross bow bolt loaded in his gun kept both his keen eyes and his weapon pointed at the animal. Sango's heart began to pulse and her legs started to shake with fear and dread, even if she did manage to land an attack all Cavalier had to do was pull that trigger. Oddly Max lowered his weapon and Kirara jumped away from him. _What's he doing?_ She wondered intensely. The demon cat released another snarl and then dashed at Maximilian. He answered yet again with another strange tactic, he placed his hand out in front of him as if it were to stop the charging cat demon. Was this some kind of an attack? Sango didn't like where this was going.

Kirara! Wait!" she warned in a shrieking voice. Kirara didn't listen and continued to charge.

As what Chippo said

_WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! _

_A lot went on in this chapter/episode! Ya Think! The next installement will be much smaller than this one was, and it will be less action driven. Well… _

_I shouldn't say that now! _

_Man Miroku did give Max a run for his money at times, but how will Sango and Kirara hold up against this foreigner! _

_There's just one way to find out! _

Read and Review my next installment if you would be so kind!

**Later…… **


	5. Enemies Of Enchantment

Enemies of Enchantment

_**Whoa! Last chapter was a close call there for Miroku! It's down to just Sango and Kirara!!! **_

_**Also a much greater and darker threat now approaches the governors of the warring states **_

_**Enjoy! This one is a little shorter than previous installments **_

"Kirara! Wait!" Sango screamed. It didn't matter what she said. Her demonic feline was parched for blood, and that was all that was set on its mind. Max kept his open hand out in front of him as if he were about to unleash some kind of energy mass from his palm. He grinned sinisterly in the pastel glow of the luminous gigantic fulll moon. Sango did not like where this was going and she clutched her one of her shuriken tightly. The great feline barred its teeth and bellowed profusely with rage. Max stood his ground like a Spartan protecting his beloved homeland. _**Krumpump! Krumpump! Krump! Krump! Krp! Krp! **_For some reason Kirara's viscious gallop decelerated sharply to a chic prance. Sango wondered as to why her companion halted its charge. However; Kirara still growled at Maxamilian through her large, white, dagger-like, canines. _**Grrrrrrhhh!**_ The demon cat sneered deeply and furiously. Then it sniffed the tips of his fingers, and Max formed his hand into a tight fist. Sango perceived this as some kind of a sneak attack.

"Kirara! Please retreat now!" her voice was not just commanding this time there was a great pitch of edginess and anxiety in her voice. Even though her companion was a powerful cat demon, she still feared for her pet and companion's safety all the time on the battle field. Ambiguously, the large demon rubbed its head up against Maximilian's fist lightly and purred contently like a small house cat. Sango's eye brows rose with shock and wariness. _What's happening? That damn cat almost never even does that with me! The only other person I've seen Kirara cuddle with and purr is Miroku and sporadically Kagome._ Maximilian descended to one knee and ran his right hand over the feline's neck and with his other hand scratched behind its ear. Sango's teeth clenched tightly and her breathing began to pick up a bit. _That blasted traitor!_

"You're a virtuous beast," Max said patting the animal on the head lightly.

"Kirara what the hell is going on?!"

"You know, maybe if you didn't rely so much on aggression and useless words, you might be able to get through to this animal," Max said with a grin.

_Who is he to talk about aggression! _Sango thought tightening her grip around her shuriken angrily. "What did you do to my-" Max cut her off abruptly.

"Nothing; I only opened its eyes," he answered scratching behind one of Kirara's ears.

"What is that suppose to mean?" she inquired, her body temperature and other chemicals were starting to flow and pump through her system at a feverish rapidity.

"Ya know I don't really dig lectures, so I'm just gonna cut straight to the frickin chase!" he spoke standing back up to his feet. "Me and this animal have no apparent reason to fight, the true conflict started with you, and that is also where it will end." Max now had a very sedate audacity reverberation in his voice. Sango felt her heart leap, he was actually and absolutely correct. She wanted to deny him, but that would only make the scenario much worse. "This animal is not your pond, it is your companion, so you should at least give it some respect," he said, mischievous and smirking face was now as solid as stone. Sango didn't care what he said now she wanted him defeated more than anything.

"Kirara! Get back!" she screamed and swung her gigantic boomerang off of her shoulder. Then with all of her strength she threw it at Max. Incongruously, he placed both of his fists on his waist and wanted for the huge Hig to come smashing into him. The giant boomerang tumbled and cleaved the cool winds as it spun end over end with extreme speed and clout. With out warning Kirara pivoted on both hind legs, kicking up dirt and leaves. Lunging at the huge boomerang the cat demon swiped at Sangos massive weapon and sent it crashing to the dark ground.

"What!" she squeal with anger. What was going on here? One minute her best friend stops to embrace her enemy, now it seemed as if the cat demon desired to protect his well-being. "Kirara how could you!" she yelled now almost crying with rejection. Kirara roared at Sango with all of its teeth barred drenched with dribble. Then jumped over a log and dashed out of the small clearing and into the darkness of the forest. All Sango could do was stare silently at the swaying ferns with a great petrified expression on her face.

"Oh my god, what have I done," Sango said looking at the ground in dismay. A couple of small tears streaked down her face leaving salty and watery trails. Of all of her companions she had ever known in her life Kirara was the one she always found to be the most faithful. She had cared for the small cat demon ever since she was young and naive, and now after all those years of greatness and faith, the worse of the worse occurred.

"At least you seem to understand that you were the root of the problem, I almost guessed you would have shoved all the blame and shame on that feline thing," Max said. Turning her attention back to her opponent she regained her demeanor, wiping away at her tears.

"That's it, your freaking dead." with all of her might she dashed towards her hiako lying latent in the darkness of the earth's soil and grass. Max didn't even move; he only followed her with his keen eyes as she recovered her weapon in the pale moon's glow. "Now let me see if you have an answer for this one," she snarled picking up her enormous boomerang. Max only grinned and stood his grounds. Pushing off the ground Sango jumped with great vigor, hair flowing like blades of elegant grace, eyes narrowed with intensity. With her left hand she flung her shuriken through the air and then twisted her hips so she spun like a compelling ballerina. As she sliced and twirled through the air she released her huge boomerang at Max just before her feet hit the ground. It was a dramatic and spectacular assail, but Max did have a few good maneuvers of his own.

With a snap of his neck he brought his right ear down to his trapeze muscle and effortlessly avoided the oncoming shuriken. His way of dealing with the boomerang was a little bit more attractive. Instead of blocking or trying to move away from the incoming rotating missile he threw his body forward and started to tuck his head in and raised his knees as if he were about to do a flip. With his right hand he unsheathed his sword as he flipped through the air. Then with one fluid movement he brought his great blade down on the center of the boomerang and shattered it. Sango gasped with the sight of fragments of her weapon flying through the air and the noise of blades crashing against solid bones. The huge boomerang had been divided into two large pieces and tumbled across the ground. Max landed on his feet with both knees bent. Then he stood up straight and smirked at Sango quietly. She wasn't full of fury and fire now, fear and shock started to consume her senses and lucid mind.

"I'll admit missile weaponry can come in handy, but there just so damn predictable," Max spoke. "Once their fired you're faced with that annoying responsibility of reloading them, also they can only be launched towards you, hence why they can be evaded so effortlessly."

Sango didn't have a remark for him; she was frozen like a cold and dim patch of ice. After all of her training and encounters with demons, here her most useful and powerful weapon was dealt with in a single slash. Now the urge to try and retreat hastily felt ever so instinctive.

"Now tell me is that thing really good for anything, or is it just kind of for show?" he questioned pointing towards her waist. Looking down at her scabbard she realized there might just be a chance for her. Quickly she unsheathed her wakashi blade and assumed a forward stance.

"A stance I see. How bold. Now display for me your talent," he stated with a smile. Sango inhaled and exhaled coolly, it was now or never. She dashed across the ground swiftly and so did Max. Their foot steps made a very cool pitter patter sound that followed their quick movements. _**Swissh! Swissh!**_ _**Tang! Jink! Tink! Tang!**_ There swords sung with a beautiful swooshing resonance as they divided the air, and jagged clanging noises from their crashing blades. They both started to circle around each other in an attempt to try and decipher each others next series of movements.

"Not that bad, let's see what kind of footwork you have," Cavalier spoke. His feet started to stagger and pivot like a dancer. Sango evaded his quick slashes, but her movements and attempts at inflicting any damage failed. Quickly parrying one of her horizontal swipes Max grabbed her around her waist with his left arm. With great ease he flung her over his shoulder and then straight at the ground. Sango crawled to her feet but it hurt immensely to do so.

"With your martial art style, sword type, and of course in a dojo or temple I probably wouldn't be able to beat you so effortlessly, nevertheless; I never fail to adapt quickly." Sango held her blade out in front of her. "You probably have noticed that fighting out here is nothing like fighting inside one of those structures." Hastily he dashed towards her and hand-sprung off the ground like an acrobat. When he landed in front of her he dropped to one hand and hand spun swinging both his legs through the air. Sango jumped away from him, and then leaped towards him with a vertical slash. As he spun across the ground with his hands he lifted the one that held his sword and blocked it. Unexpectedly he fell to his back and grabbed her knees with his legs. She fell to the ground with a thud.

_Wow! He really knows what he's doing! The only weird thing is though is that I've never seen a fighting art quite like his. He keeps switching between styles of attack and forms of movement! No wonder why Miroku had such a hard time. _She staggered to her feet and tried to maintain her balance. Spinning around on his back Cavalier bolted up from the ground and unleashed a powerful round house kick aimed at her head. Sango crouched with just enough speed to avoid his attack by a mere inch. Making one of her feet free from the ground she attempted a low sweeping kick at his pivoting foot. Max's foot left the earth and he landed in a handstand. With one of his feet he planted a devastating kick that sent Sango sailing backwards. She tumbled backwards and rolled out of the small plot of land. Now the pretty demon slayer was back under the thick forest canopy that shrouded the world in darkness. Aching in agony Sango rose to her feet. Gazing around the dark forest the only thing that seemed numerous or clear to her were the dark silhouettes of the huge trees and clusters of ferns and other plants. Obviously this mysterious duelist studied guerilla tactics and knew how to utilize them. It was also tremendously difficult to decipher what was moving the plants. Was it the cool breeze that was flowing all around her, or was it her adversary?

"Come out and face me already," she snapped. Nothing followed. They're was no movement that could have been passed off as an attempted assault, or answering voice. She growled and continued to scan the area for movement. The full moon above would have provided some decent whitish light, but with the thick awning sheltering the forest floor only small blades and beams of the moons vibrant light could pass through vaguely. Inhaling and exhaling she turned around and then was met with what she desired. A flash of a blade cutting through the silent winds and reflecting the moons light gleamed blazed in front of her face. She staggered backwards terribly and tripped over a log. Crawling away from her attacker frantically on the ground and through a heap of ferns, she kept her head low and tried not to pant so harshly. Quietly she leaned against a trees trunk and pushed herself to her feet.

"Your swordsmanship is good, but your evasive strategies need a hell of a lot of work," a familiar voice sounded from her left side. Gazing down at the ground from where she was leaning against the tree she noticed there was a huge pool of pale light. Looking over her right shoulder she saw there was a huge gap in the canopy, and below it her adversary sat smugly in a small tree.

"You're a weak fool!" That was the best thing she could have blurted out at him.

"No kiddin! And I'm not the one who's bleeding." Sango could feel something warm and liquid substance on her narrow chin. With a wipe of her hand she collected a heap of the substance. Holding her hand out in front of her she could see dark and crimson blobs and smudges all over it.

_Oh my god! I think maybe surrendering is a nice option _She thought fearfully. But before she could utter another word Max leaped down from the tree like a demon sword in hand. With out hesitation Sango through her self to the ground and evaded his lethal swipe.

"I always thought that demon slayers were supposed to walk with their heads held high. Not creep on the ground like the beasties they slew," he remarked with a grin.

_That's it! He's gone too far! _Sango thought with a real taste of bitterness and animosity in her heart. Like a tiger leaping at its prey she jumped to her feet and once again unleashed an arrangement of lethal slashes and movements. Max parried and evaded her with great ease. Lunging forwards with both hands on the hilt of her sword she brought her blade down in a lethal vertical slash. Putting one foot behind the other and leaning away from her slightly he swiftly avoided Sango's elegant attack as he pivoted behind her like fluently. With his open right hand he slapped her firmly on her butt and sent her crashing forwards into a small bush. Behind the husky plant there was a small hill that led to a small sandy beach and quiet running stream. She rolled down the hill sadistically and across the loose sand. This time she didn't get up so quickly. Weakly she opened her eyes; there were thousands of small lights flickering in her eyes. They weren't the stars in the dark blue canopy over head; they were the electrical currents in her brain trying desperately to transmit signals through out her body. She felt as baffled and beaten as her bewildered brains commands that tumultuously tried to redirect her body. Her hair was scattered behind her head like a heap of dark tendrils as they stuck into to the sand. _**Thck! Thck! Thck! Thock! Thck! **_Someone was descending down from the small hill where she rolled down from.

"Oh no, he's coming back. I don't know how much I can keep this up," she said to herself weakly. Rolling over on her shoulder she pushed her self up from the sand, her long black hair hung in a tangled mess. Her slender and petite figure couldn't withstand much more abuse. Looking down at the ground she saw a pair of boots step into her field of static vision.

"That was quite a fall," he said with a grin. She refused to make eye contact and glared at the ground. _**Shink! **_She heard him withdraw his sword. Swiftly he brought the tip of his blade under her chin. Her dirty but still pretty face looked up from the ground and starred at him with fear and pain in her russet eyes. After taking a heavy breath she glanced back down at the ground.

"Just kill me please," her voice was soft like satin. Max stepped backwards almost alarmed.

"What?" there was a hint of apprehension and confusion in his low voice.

"You heard me. Please just do as I ask," she said tenderly and in a sniffling voice. Max was puzzled by her odd request. Why all of a sudden did she want him to kill her? Before she tumbled down the small hillside she fought him with great dexterity and passion. Max didn't have an answer for her, so he questioned her instead.

"Where the hell did this come from?!" he snarled.

"I'm nothing more but a failure. I couldn't respect one of my closest companions and beloved pet." Max's eyes narrowed. "What good am I to anyone if I can't even defend the man I love from danger," her voice starting to fade to a whimper. Another thing that bothered Maximilian was the self-destructive nature of these people in this world. Glancing a little bit over to his right his eyes caught something. He noticed one of her hands was getting close to her sword. Was this an act so she could unleash a sneak attack? Or was she really serious, and desired death. Either way Max couldn't and wouldn't allow either one. Instead of raising his sword he spoke to her.

"That's somethin I just can't pull off," he remarked quietly gazing down at her. Suddenly he noticed her finger that was nearing her blade flicker. "Because its not sports men like conduct to take out prey when it is on the ground!" He raised his sword and she crawled away from him through the shallow waters desperately. Dripping with water like temple after a rain storm her body wobbled and reeled up and out of the water. She could barely keep her balance, or keep a stance firm. Sango hissed angrily trying to focus her weedy eyes on her opponent standing on the beach.

_This guy is just way out of my league! He is literally in his own. His evasive movements and tactics are just so quick and well planned. Not to mention his swordsmanship, it is excellent as well as anarchic. There is only one move that can settle this_. With one arm reaching around her back she grabbed her trump card. The weapon was something known as a river-screen. When thrown on water it would burst into a blazing ray of light for a mere second, and a heavy cloud of smoke would accompany it. For generations this kind of diversionary device had been passed down from the ninja of the forest and mountains, to the demon slayers of Sango's village. She had one and only one chance to turn this match in her favor.

"Now, let us end this meaningless altercation," Max said calmly preparing a stance. Sango nodded wordlessly. Abruptly they both charged at each other swords raised. The water slowed down Sango's charge, but it didn't matter. Max also quickly dashed into the shallows. Just before their blades met Sango flung the small explosive on the waters surface and it exploded into a vibrant grayish cloud. Passing through the smoke screen she ended on the beach shore with her wakashi pointed out in front of her. She didn't hear her sword hit something metallic or strong, but she did feel something with weight make contact with her blade. Looking over a shoulder she saw that the smoke was already starting to clear from the explosion, but no Max!

_Did he collapse into the water? I didn't hear a splash. _However; what she did see was a trail of damp crimson dots leading across the shore. _What?_ Following the trail up the sand she saw Max grabbing one of his knees. Pivoting in the sand he revealed his injury. His right leg looked like it was damp with some kind of thick fluid. His teeth were clinched and he appeared to be breathing hard with his chest expanding and reclining.

"Now that wasn't very nice! And you thought I was the master of malicious tricks," he said with his eyebrows narrowed, they complemented his raging facial expression.

_Oh my god! I think I actually cut him! _Sango thought gasping. At first she thought it was unimaginable after seeing how he dealt with her and Miroku so fluently. A devious smirk curled across her lips. _I'm not going to kill him, but I'll give him something he won't forget _she thought raising her blade.

"Man. You really are a class act," he snarled and taking note of her stance. _I can't believe I even saved this chick! _Sango didn't have to say anything; he knew what was coming his way. Now feeling more confident and steady she swiftly darted across the beach towards her damaged opponent. Nevertheless; a smirk also came across his face as well. He had anchored his sword down in the sand with his left hand resting on the hilt. When Sango came into being only a few feet from him he ripped his blade from the sand and bombarded her in the face with dirt. With his right hand he grabbed her face; Sango's sword went flying from her hands and rolled across the ground. _**Thunk! **_With his right hand cupping her chin he pressed her up against a tree trunk. Her heart slammed against her chest and her lungs labored intensely with fear fused with astonishment. He leaned close to her face and smiled deceitfully, for a minute she almost thought she was starring into the eyes of a Satan.

"What's a matter? Not what you expected huh?" he spoke in a egotistic but smooth voice.

_How! How! Did this happen, I thought I injured or gashed his leg, does he have an amazing immunity to pain or did I even really inflict any damage on him. _

"Your probably wondering why I don't even seem phased just the slightest, just inhale some of the docile air." Sango didn't know what he was talking about. "Don't tell me you aren't familiar with its sent. Let me help you," he said pressing his index finger between her lips. She tasted the scarlet substance, it certainly wasn't blood, and it actually tasted a lot more like cherries with citrus blended together. "Spontaniously you flew right off the frickin handle and assumed it was blood, guess again sweet heart." He leaned into her now not even inches away from her face. She could feel his warm breath across her face. Groaning she looked away from him and closed her eyes tightly. "Hey!" he growled snapping her face back up to face his. "Not making eye contact is very rude you know." She whimpered and continued to gasp heavily. _**Zing!**_ Timidly Sango's eyes looked down at her waist; she saw that Maximilian's sword had a small pointy blade that was hidden in the swords pummel.

"Fortunatley for you, I'm a very forgiving person." Suddenly Sango felt something strike her in the stomach. It wasn't the hidden blade, but felt more like an elbow. Max leaned off of her and released her face; she crumbled to her knees like a dying elderly person. From her knees she fell sideways and landed on her right shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave," he spoke caressing her side, and then sheathed his sword.

"Wait!" Sango cried up from the ground. Max peered over his shoulder at her on the ground. "You're not from these lands."

"Yeah. What are you gettin at?"

"Why are you here? For what?" Her voice grew more distressed. There was a short pause between them. He said nothing, only stood in silence.

"Some call it the blade of salvation; I call it an enormous threat that likes to grow insanely. I was also told through the grape vine that it was forged in these lands. It is very possible that it was, and I intend to find out if that is true or not myself." With that said he continued to stroll away from her.

"Why didn't you kill me?" She asked weakly. Cavalier didn't decrease his pace or even flinch for that matter. He continued to walk and eventually disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Sango closed her eyes and held her stomach, she knew that it was very possible that she nor Miroku have seen the last of him.

Far from to the south east in the lowlands other greater troubles were brewing. At a large castle owned by Samurai lord Hiroman many gathered to converse on a multitude of topics. At the very top of the large square-like structure the meeting halls rectangular table was filled with booming voices and rough arguments. Hiroman sat at one end of the table; he was a middle aged samurai who had seen his days on the battlefield, with scars on his forehead and jaw to prove it. At the opposite end of the table sat an official from the shogunate, he was very arrogant and held a smug facial expression. Due to laws of bushido it was illegal for Hiroman to throw him out of his castle. It was especially hard to do anything of that nature because there was great chaos erupting in the country side and shogun officials were annoying all the samurai clans with there visits. Many of the other samurai warlords were arguing with each other at the top of their lungs, the two that seemed to be going at it the most were Umaru and Shokinto.

"Enough!" Hiroman had to roar to be heard among the altercating voices. "We can sit here all night and bicker like our wives and grandparents," he spoke sternly. "Or, we can formulate an idea that will take the form of our strategy.

"Well, remember of course; It has to be a strategy that works well," the shogun official spoke with a smug smile. He was really pushing Hiroman's buttons hard.

"These barbarians are tearing our country apart," Hiroman remarked.

"I think we all know that," the shogun official stated.

"Whose strategy shall we use?" Shokinto snapped.

"And how will we all be able to agree on one," Umaru growled. Things seemed to be getting hotter by the second. They were suppose to all be allies but know they were fast becoming enemies.

"Hey! Why is it getting colder suddenly," One of the samurai lords said looking around the room suspiciously. Nobody could have opened a window. It was also more than a chill, it felt like the whole room had been cooled by a modern air conditioner. _**Creak!**_ The sliding down at the opposite end of the room slid open and a voice escaped from the shadows.

"I believe I have a strategy that might be useful." The voice sounded like that of a ghost or a supernatural life form. It also carried a vague echo that trailed on through out the room. Quietly Naraku stepped into the room and into the light of the many candles that illuminated the dark room. He wore a crimson robe and his hair hung past his shoulders and it was a dark, pitch, but shiny black. His eyes carried a red glow that spooked the samurai to the pits of their souls. No one dared to say anything against the powerful and notorious demon. Swiftly he walked over to where the shogunate official sat. "My I have a seat at this council," he said with a grim smile. Shrieking like a foolish little girl the shogunate official threw himself on the ground and crawled away and hid in the shadows. Naraku sat down and gazed across the table at Hiroman, who was also starring back intensely. Hiroman lost many samurai and many lives of villagers to this destructive monster, and he wasn't ready to do business with him either.

"What brings you here!" he growled try to restrain his right hand from grabbing his katana.

"Hard to believe the both of us seek the same thing," Naraku spoke with a sinister smile.

"Really, What?" Hiroman was already losing patients with this monster.

"Balance," Naraku declared calmly. "It is wise to have a conservative ruler regulate a very open society, and it is good to have an open ruler broaden the horizon for a very conservative society. This is balance, it keeps chaos at bay, and right now it is destroying these lands. I know of your problems with these barbarians and these illegal aliens that are invading your kingdom. I will help you deal with that problem." Hiroman cursed to himself, it just didn't seem possible.

"Why?" Hiroman asked.

"Because I am suffering from the conflicts of imbalance as well, there are many demons that have grown out of my control." Hiroman smiled confidently.

"How is that also possible, I thought you were invincible and all powerful?"

"I am a hanyo," he spoke in a low tone. All the samurai gasped around the table. "I have no revealed a weakness of mine to you all, now you see how desperate I am."

_No way! That can't be true! Or! Maybe this coward doesn't have a leg to stand on! _Hiroman thought.

"Many demonic beings I once controlled have no grown out of it. They don't feel honored serving a half demon. However; there are still many demonic life forms that do honor and serve under me though. With them I will drive out the Mongol invaders and anyone else you want gone from this country. In return I will need will need the help from of your samurai clans to destroy the demons that have gone out of control. At the end of all this balance will be restored," Naraku explained with a grin.

"What! I will be dead before my clan provides you with bodies!" Umaru snapped drawing his katana. Suddenly he snarled and grabbed his throat it seemed that there was an invisible hand grabbing at his throat. Then he was flung backwards and landed on the ground hard. The rest of the samurai watched with terror in their strong faces.

"Aside from that you now all know what needs to be done," Naraku spoke articulately. "The choice is up to you all. It doesn't matter what you decide on, I will find a way regardless of your decision. You can look at it this way." He stood up from where he sat and held his hands out. "We can either fight each other, or work with each other, and like I said I'm fine with either of the choices," he said deepening his voice slightly. Then he turned from the shocked council and walked away to the door. As he left the room he glanced down at the shogunate official huddled into the corner of the room. "You can have your seat back now," Naraku said coolly. Then he walked out of the room and slid the door closed behind him.

The rest of the samurai sat in bewilderment and shock. What were they to do? On one hand they wanted to be independent and try and solve this problem, but if they were to work with Naraku they could easily smite two birds with a single stone. They could drive out these foreigners and kill a significant amount of demons in one giant effort. Still many of them didn't like the notion of working with Naraku, especially Hiroman.

Walking out side the castle Naraku met up with another demon. He wore a kimono and held a great staff made of shimmering silver. His eyes were huge and red like that of a tree frogs.

"Has it been done?" the demon conjurer asked.

"All in good time, things will fall into place," Naraku answered with a devilish grin.

_**Now you can see where this is going! Does Naraku have a big trick up his sleeve for the samurai and the shogun, or does he have a surprise for his fellow demonic partner! **_

_**Tell me what you liked and thought needed some polishing! This was a short chapter/episode, but the next one will be big! I promise! **_


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